


These Red Strings

by generalatomicsgalleria (charmingotter), wittyshades



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, Multi, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Tattoo Artist Outsider/Oswald Black, updating Tuesdays and Fridays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-04-27 21:23:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 89
Words: 46,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14434365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmingotter/pseuds/generalatomicsgalleria, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wittyshades/pseuds/wittyshades
Summary: There is a legend, that, supposedly, lovers are connected by a red string tied by the gods. These people are destined to be together regardless of place, time or circumstances and while this magical string may stretch or tangle, it will never break. It is not always limited to a pair of people, however, and the gods do love to complicate things.





	1. Oswald Black, Saturday September 1st

The bar was too loud and dirty and... well, filled with drunk people. Oswald never did understand the appeal; if he wanted to get drunk he wanted to do it in the peace and quiet of his own home. 

But then- he wasn’t here to drink anyway. He was here, at Billie’s insistence, to meet a potential client. “You’ll love Jess and there’s no way you’ll turn her idea down,” she had told him, sounding quite adamant about it all. After the twenty-seventh time she told him- well, he didn’t have a choice but to go. She had goaded him enough times, at any rate, smugly calling him ‘Outsider’ and teasing him like when they were kids. 

“Can I get you something, sweetheart?” The bartender asked when he sat down at the dimly lit bar. He shook his head at her, mumbling a quick no. “Ya sure?” She batted her eyelashes at him, looking almost hopeful as she leaned over the counter towards him. She smelled like cigarettes. 

“I’m fine,” he told her. “Just waiting for someone.” 

Billie was supposed to have been waiting for _him_. Without her, he was a bit lost here. He didn’t know the people he was meant to be meeting and he didn’t know when to expect them. She had neglected to tell him such important details, insisting that she would be there to introduce everyone to each other. 

The bartender only bothered him once more before he did, in fact, find Billie. Where he found her should have been a surprise, but somehow it just wasn’t. She was on the stage at the other end of the bar, her drums set up behind her. Of course. _What else should he have expected really?_

Billie tapped the mic in front of her experimentally. She smiled when most of the crowd looked up, and continued, “Hello, everyone. Tonight you’re all in for a very special treat.”

Oswald sighed, turning back to the bartender. This was obviously going to take a helluva lot longer than he was lead to believe. “Do you know how to make a French 75?” She frowned back at him, eyebrows drawing together. _That was a no._ “Never mind,” he told her, shaking his head. “Just get me something with lemon in it.”

Meanwhile, Billie had continued with whatever she had been on about. “And with that,” she said. “I think we should get on with our show, so allow me to introduce the dynamic duo- Jessamine Kaldwin and Corvo Attano.” Her smile grew as an elegant, dark haired woman came out on stage with her, followed by a rather rugged, though equally dark looking man who carried some sort of guitar. 

To even his own surprise, Oswald realized he knew the man. Intimately even, one might say. It had been...years, no doubt, but it was the same man he had once in encountered in a bar, not unlike this one. 

Oswald remembered him vividly. He had been very good with his hands, not being particularly shy with them when he had pulled Oswald’s clothes off...For all intents and purposes, it had probably been the best lay of his life. Oswald had fondly regretted fleeing the scene of that one night stand that morning more than once.

At the time, it hadn’t been uncommon for him to steal his bedmate’s wallets. Or jewelry. Or just whatever he could get his hands on, really. He hadn’t robbed Corvo before he left that night though. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been tempted, he supposed. He had gone so far as to locate the man’s wallet, but in the end, he had put it back in his pants pocket where he had found it. 

That was, at least, the reason Oswald tried to tell himself he regretted it. In reality, the one where he didn’t lie to himself, he knew it was because there was...something there that night before they had even gotten around to tearing clothes off, that he couldn’t name. It had been thrillingly fascinating. Some might have named it ‘a spark’. It had scared him. Which, perhaps, might’ve also explained why he had fled so swiftly and didn’t even steal his wallet. 

Generally, he did his best to not think on it too hard, but seeing him again paired with his martini the bartender had just handed him, he sort of couldn’t help himself. He sipped on his drink casually now, replaying the night in his head as he watched the three of them play. 

Fittingly, the music was as sensual as the memories. He half expected the woman singing to jump Corvo’s bones right there on stage the way she looked at him while she was performing and really, he couldn’t even blame her for wanting to. Time had been nothing but kind to his past friend, there was no denying. 

An hour had passed by the time they were done and he was ordering a glass of water. He still had to get home after all. _I don’t like martinis anyway_ , he thought, taking his first sip of water, watching Billie hop down off the stage and weave her way towards him. 

“Outsider,” she greeted him easily still smiling. “You made it.” 

_You only kept me waiting for an hour, but yes._ He merely nodded, ignoring the nickname. “I didn’t know you were working tonight.” Oswald took another sip of his drink, still half watching the two left on stage. Corvo was talking to the woman now, both of them grinning about something as they spoke. They were, in a word, lovely. In a few more, enjoyable to watch. 

“Well, it was more of a favor,” Billie explained. “That’s the woman I was telling you about.” She nodded to woman on the stage. “Jessamine Kaldwin.”

They both watched her for a moment. Corvo now helping her step down off stage. The crowd practically parted in front of her as she made her way towards the bar. “Kaldwin,” Oswald repeated, frowning. “Why’s that sound so familiar?” He turned back to look at Billie. 

“Her father owns Tyvia Industries.” He huffed. _Daughter of mister big business then. Certainly explained that air she had about her._ Billie shrugged, sitting down next to him. “She’s not spoiled actually.” When he raised an eyebrow she just laughed. “I know, I was shocked too.”

“What are you two laughing about?” The woman in question asked, a surprisingly light posh accent coming through. Putting a light hand on both their shoulders she just laughed, obviously not expecting an answer. 

Looking back at her Oswald couldn’t help but smile a bit, she had a contagious laugh apparently. Especially when you looked at her and saw what a lovely face she had. With her blue eyes and dark hair and a button nose she looked like the poster child for some natural beauty regime. Billie was right though, she didn’t seem spoiled or have an uptight air about her. It must have been a miracle. “Billie, thank you again for playing with us,” she said. “When Daud said he would find us another drummer I didn’t think he had meant you.”

Billie waved her off. “The old man knows you want the best, who else would he find?”

Jessamine giggled. “Well, Corvo will be here in a moment, but,” she looked at Oswald, “I assume you are ‘The Outsider’ Billie has always gone on about?” She held out her hand daintily. 

Oswald took it, having to reach around a bit awkwardly to do so since she stood behind him, but he wasn’t going to be rude. “I am. I’m told you’re Jessamine Kaldwin.”

She smiled, giving him a nod as she came to sit down on the other side of him. “I am,” she said. “And I’ve been wanting to speak to you for ages now.” 

“Why’s that?” Oswald asked. Up close now he saw she was exactly prim and proper as she had seemed before. Not a hair out of place, makeup perfect, even her nail polish matching her clothes. She wore perfume as well, he noticed, something smelling vaguely of lavender and something else he couldn’t identify. 

“Well-“ she broke off before she even began, looking behind them. “Wait, here comes Corvo. Let me introduce you first.” Jessamine turned in her seat to see him better. “Corvo,” she said. “This is ‘The Outsider’. He’s the artist Billie was telling me about, remember?”

Now up close, Oswald noticed that Corvo actually did seem a bit older. His hair was peppered with silver, as was his beard, and there were lines at the corners of his dark eyes. Still, none of it was a drawback. He was as handsome as ever. Coming up to shake Oswald’s hand, Corvo shrugged, barely sparing him a look. Which was fine. He wasn’t sure he was ready to bring up the subject of their past meeting. _Was there really ever a good time to bring up having previously banged someone's boyfriend?_ Though technically, Corvo has been the one doing the banging.

“That’s not a real name,” Corvo said conversationally, he had his own unique accent it seemed, something Spanish-sounding, though his English was perfect as far as Oswald could tell. He sat down on the other side of Jessamine, seeming unconcerned with Oswald even now. Luck was with him, then. He didn’t remember Oswald.  
_And thank God for that_ , he thought downing what was left of his drink. 

Not so subtly elbowing Corvo in the ribs, Jessamine said, “What he meant is it’s very nice to meet you, Outsider.” She smiled over at him politely. 

“It's fine,” he told Jessamine. “He’s right. My real name is Oswald Black. People just like to call me Outsider.” He shrugged. It was Billie’s fault. She had been the one to start it when they were kids. More than once he had wondered if she had meant for it to stick with him for so long. 

“Strange name.”

“You know these are awful bold words from a man named ‘Corvo’.” He looked pointedly down the bar at the man. 

Jessamine laughed. “He’s got a point.”

“What’s wrong with my name?” He asked innocently, waving the bartender over. 

“Nothing,” Billie said. “Nothing at all. If you like crows...”

Oswald knew a Crowe. Not unlike himself, she was a tattoo artist, adopted, and an asshole. He wasn’t sure he’d go so far as to say they were friends, but they knew each other. As if summoned by her name like the devil, his phone chirped with her ringtone. Ignoring it, he asked, “So, Ms. Kaldwin-“

“Jessamine.”

“Jessamine,” he continued, “What can I do for you? Are you looking to get some ink?” The bartender took his glass, asking him if he wanted another. He shook his head. 

Turning to face him, she began, “Well, I discovered your art on your Instagram.” He nodded slowly. That wasn’t unusual. A lot of people found him that way. Social media- what a useful business tool. 

“And I just loved everything you did so much. Your colors and just the things you choose to draw and paint and how you do it. It’s amazing.” She looked so completely sincere in her love for his work that for a moment he wasn’t sure what to say. It turned out it didn’t matter though, as she continued past his silence. “And I was wondering if I might be able to get you to do some paintings for me?”

_There it was._ He sighed. “You know I’m a tattoo artist, right?”

“Well, yes...Obviously, but I was hoping you might be open to some other work?”

He scratched the back of his head. Painting was more or less just something he did for himself; he had never been commissioned for anything but ink work. “I don’t know,” he told her honestly. “It’s not something I usually do and it does take up a lot more time than tattoo work.”

“I’m willing to pay you as much as you might want.”

He laughed until he realized she was serious. “Oh.” She didn’t change her expression, obviously waiting for him to say something more. “Well,” he said. “What do you have in mind?”

“It’s up to you,” she told him. 

_Maybe he did need another drink._ “That’s not really how this works,” he told her. “I kinda need an idea of what you want from me here.”

“I like your work,” she said. “Period. These paintings will be for a new apartment so you’ll have a blank slate,” she explained. “I think whatever you come up with will be wonderful.”

Billie chose to speak up then, tapping her hand on the bar to get their attention. “Why don’t you guys do a trial run. You paint something small- see if you both like it.” She bumped her shoulder with Oswald’s. 

He shrugged. “Alright, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” Looking back to Jessamine he told her, “I’m not promising anything though.” 

“Excellent!” Jessamine squealed, for the first time dropping her calm demeanor as she bounced in her seat slightly. “Thank you. I’m so excited.” She grinned. 

Oswald smiled gently, giving her a small nod. His phone chirped again. Jasper. Sparing a glance at it this time, he saw: 

`**Jasper:** are you coming in tomorrow`

He checked the time. 11:08pm. Damn, he had meant to be home by now. “Well,” Oswald said, beginning to type out a message to Jasper, “if that was all, then I need to be going.”

Jessamine stopped him from standing with a hand on his shoulder. “Wait, I haven’t even paid you.”

He laughed. “You can wait until I’m done- trial period and all that.”

“No. No, I insist. At least half, please,” she said. “How much would you say? 200, sound fair? For the trial run?”

Oswald couldn’t help but laugh. Most would have aimed so much lower. He appreciated that she hadn’t. “You know what, Jessamine, why don’t you pay for my drinks and we’ll consider it settled for now?”

Jessamine shook her head. “For now, Oswald. For now.” She winked at him. 

Awkwardly, he stood. “Well, goodbye then everyone.” He patted Billie on the shoulder. “Billie, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” she called after him as he began making his way to the door. He zipped his jacket up as he went, knowing it would be goddamn freezing outside. His phone chirped again when he reached the parking lot. There were no streetlights and he struggled to locate his motorcycle for a moment, but finally pulled his phone out when he had to see what she had said. 

`**You:** yeah I’ve got Billie tomorrow. Why?`

`**Jasper:** just wondering. I have that new guy coming in at noon.`

Oswald sighed pulling on his helmet and zipping his phone back into his pocket before getting onto his bike. He remembered the fellow. Unfortunately. Jasper should have turned him down; he had been an ass. He wasn’t sure why she hadn’t honestly, but he didn’t think on it too long- as he drove his thoughts mostly strayed to what he might end up painting for a woman he knows nothing about and a man who didn’t remember him.


	2. Oswald, Sunday September 2nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinup: noun; a poster showing a famous person or sex symbol, designed to be displayed on a wall

The Void was home. Well, it was work, but it felt like home by now. When he walked in it was exactly as he knew it would be, their lobby empty, the old couches that looked out their plate glass window only gathering dust. Beyond that was their main desk where they talked to new clients and beyond that two small, but equally messy sectioned off areas- one belonging to Oswald and the other Jasper’s of course. Both held a desk and an adjustable chair and endless amounts of drawings tacked the the walls. 

It was always quiet on Sundays though. Sometimes they don’t even bother to open at all, both he and Jasper agreeing to take the day off. When he walked in on this particular Sunday he was greeted by the sight of a rather glum Jasper, her head sat down on the reception desk in boredom as she watched out the front window of the shop. Waiting on him or on customers, he couldn’t be sure. 

“Hey, edgelord,” she said, watching him walk in. “You look like a ray of sunshine today. I like the dark circles under your eyes.”

Oswald snorted, walking past her to his own workspace. “Thanks,” he said. “I really try, you know.” In truth, he hadn't even looked in a mirror today, but he wasn't surprised by the comment. Insomnia didn't make for good looks. 

Tiredly throwing his backpack at his feet, he sat down at his desk. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could take a nap before Billie arrived. He checked his phone for the time. _Unlikely._ He sighed. 

Swiveling around, he saw Jasper had come and stretched out in his chair, her arms stretched out casually above her head like she were modeling for something. Jasper often reminded him of the paintings of Venus, just a little. She was classically beautiful with long dark hair that hung to her shoulders and a heart shaped face that held not only a perfect mouth but piercing dark brown eyes as well. Were they not coworkers and terrible to each other, he might just have been tempted enough to ask her on date. He also got the feeling that if he ever voiced any of these thoughts she would call him a nerd and never let it go. 

“Do you need something, Jasper?” He asked. 

She lifted up her shirt, showing the tattoo on her side, a tasteful pin-up of some famous dancer woman Oswald couldn’t be bothered to remember right now. “Think you could make time for me one day soon?”

“Make time for what?” He squinted at the piece. It looked complete and as far as he could tell didn't need any touch ups. 

“Coloring,” Jasper shrugged, letting her shirt drop back down. “It’s faded since I got it, even though you can’t really tell. I just want her touched up. Lili deserves to look her best. Think you can manage it, Ozzie?”

Oswald huffed. Of course he could manage it. “Don’t call me that,” he told her. “But yes, I can do color.” He turned back around to look at the planner on his desk. “I've got time Thursday if you want.” She had done enough work on him that it was high time he returned the favor anyhow. 

“Sure,” Jasper agreed easily.

“Should I pencil you in as ‘Demon Spawn’ or ‘Queen of Hell’?” 

“Oh, ‘Queen of Hell’ definitely.” She threw out her leg to kick him in the ass lightly. “But you must address me as such.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” he snorted, blocking out a space for her in his planner. He turned back to raise an eyebrow at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be working? Where’s your guy?”

Jasper rolled her eyes. “A no-show. Figured I'd stick around to see Billie before I left though.”

“Oh, sure. Stick around for _Billie_. I'll just sit over here like chopped liver.” 

She snorted. “I see you everyday, Oswald. You ain't nothing special.”

“You wound me.”

Billie arrived then, the little bell on their door tinkling sharply, saving him from having Jasper could call him a wuss or something like it. She looked as practical as ever with her hair tied up and her sweats and Wonder Woman hoodie on as she always did when they had an appointment. She waved to the two of them. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey, Billie,” Jasper smiled pleasantly at her as she made her way around the front desk to Oswald’s workspace. “How've you been?”

“Today? Not great,” she laughed. “Spent the entire morning bickering with the old man.”

Oswald frowned. When Billie said she was bickering with Daud, what they bickered about could range anywhere from who left their shoes in the floor to why Billie still wouldn't go to college. Sometimes things got nasty. “What about?” Oswald asked, trying to to sound resigned about it. Best as he could, he tried to hide his absolute disdain for the man- but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. 

“Trying to teach me the violin,” she explained. “It...hasn't been going well.”

“No?” Jasper raised an eyebrow. 

“No,” Billie confirmed. “I’m not as naturally gifted at this instrument it would seem,” she shrugged, “And he’s been struggling as much as me because of it.” She laughed lightly. “It’s probably a good thing we had to take a break now.”

Oswald hummed. “Right. Well, if Jasper would remove her ass from your seat here, we could probably get started.” He gave Jasper a pointed look and she stuck her tongue out at him. 

Looking back at Billie she said, “Lucky for you, I actually am about to be going.” She smiled, more or less just showing her teeth at Oswald. “But it was good seeing you again, Billie.” 

“Good seeing you too, Jasper,” she said, watching her get up and begin to grab her things from her workspace. 

Pulling on her coat, Jasper nodded to Oswald, “Keep him in line for me, will you?”

Billie just laughed. “Sure thing.”

“Bye, you two.” She winked at the two of them before heading out the door. 

“I would die for her, Oz,” Billie told him gravely, watching Jasper cross the street to her car. 

He just laughed, adjusting his chair so it was fully reclined. “Sit your gay ass down, Billie.” _If Jasper was interested she probably would have pounced by now._ That he knew for sure. He respected that about her. She had never been one to dance around that sort of thing, which he supposed was more than he could say for himself. 

Sitting down, she stripped off her shirt and laid down. “Which part are you gonna do today?” She asked, getting comfortable before unclasping her bra. 

Oswald had already begun lining up his ink pots and laying out everything he needed. “Which part do you want me to do today?” He asked. They had already done all the line work, slowing chipping away at the shading and finer details now. 

“What did we do last time?”

He shrugged, eyeing the tattoo now. It was a ship, a big one (Billie liked to call it her ‘pirate boat’ for some ungodly reason) set against the background of the night sky. Below it was the ocean and a rather large kraken was only just beginning to wrap its tentacles around the hull of the ship. “I think I started on the kraken last time.” It had been a while since the last time. “Do you want me to do more of that or do you want me to work on the sky?”

“Do the kraken,” she told him. “I told the old man I'd be back before five.” 

He hummed, pulling out a few more ink pots. “Why is Daud trying to teach you to play the violin by the way?” God knows she was already an overachiever, having already learned the drums, xylophone, and, as she liked to remind him, the kazoo. 

“It's kind of an emergency, he needs me to fill in for someone who only had like a very minor part in this one piece and…”she trailed off, shrugging. “Well, here we are.”

“Ready?” He asked, testing out his tattoo machine before setting it against her skin. She nodded and he went to work. 

After a moment, she asked, “So, what did you think of Jessamine and Corvo?”

Oswald resisted the urge to laugh as he worked. _If only she knew what he thought of Corvo._ “They seemed nice enough,” he told her, nodding. Which was true. “Jessamine seemed...eager.” Bubbly too, sitting on the very edge on flirty. He half wondered what Corvo thought about that. 

“She was excited to meet you.”

“Corvo seemed less so,” he laughed. “Barely shook my hand.” Truly, he hadn't been offended that he had hardly looked at him or even had remembered him- he didn't have a memorable face anyway- it was better that way. On the other hand, he thought about it all far too much than any one person should ever replay a single sexual encounter. It was his own fault for going home and drawing people having sex like he had good sense. He ended up taking a shower and scrapping the entire idea. Jessamine Kaldwin almost certainly did not want a painting of two faceless men fucking on her living room wall.

“Corvo...had already a long day,” Billie told him. “Mostly spent with Jessamine’s father.”

“Should I ask?”

“Not the most fun man.”

“He and Daud would get along swell, I'm sure.”

“Daud doesn't get along with anyone.”

“Uh, you?”

“I don't count, I'm his daughter.”

“Whatever.” Oswald had ceased being impressed by Billie’s adoptive father years ago. Daud was just another pain in his ass at this point. 

“We’re getting off topic,” Billie told him. “Are you gonna take the job? Ya know, full time.”

“It’s very...vague don't you think?” If he had had any sort of idea what she wanted from him he might have already cleared his schedule and gotten to work, but as things were, he simply didn't know where to start. What did Jessamine Kaldwin want from him exactly? She asked for a painting. That was all. It should have been simple- and it might have been, had she given him any direction to take things. 

Billie hummed. “Well, I think if you guys talked it out some more, you'd have a better idea of what she wants.”

He shook his head. “I’ll think about it.” In the meantime, he suppose he'd have to figure out something else to draw besides people fucking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ”Pretty woman won't you pardon me, Pretty woman I couldn't help but see, Pretty woman that you look lovely as can be, Are you lonely just like me” 
> 
> Ahhhh and the next chapter (which will be posted later today) is finally Corvo!


	3. Corvo, Sunday September 2nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Type: noun; (informal) the sort of person one likes or finds attractive

Daud’s office was crowded. _You’d think arranging a meeting would mean you wouldn’t get interrupted._ Nonetheless, Corvo and Jessamine waited patiently for him in front of his desk while he and his band of misfits tried to settle whatever was going on off to the side. 

Jessamine smirked over at him, a devious look in her pale blue eyes as she tapped her heel quietly against the hardwood floor. 

“What?” He finally asked, knowing she wanted to say something. 

She smiled. “You know, Oswald was pretty cute.”

Corvo laughed softly. The twink of an artist from last night. “Maybe,” he said- which, wasn’t really what he thought, if he was being honest with himself. The guy hadn’t been maybe cute, he had been extremely cute. “What’s your point, Jess?”

“He was your type. You should talk to him next time he comes around.”

“And tell him what? _You_ said he was my type?”

She pursed her ruby red lips for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t see why not.”

“Are you sure he’s not _your_ type?” He asked, laughing lightly. She never stopped pointing people out to him, saying they were his type. It had started the first time they ‘broke up’ (which, if anyone was being real about things, was strictly a show for her father), but then it never stopped. Life was weird sometimes. 

“He’s very cute, you have to admit,” Jessamine told him. 

“Who is?” Daud asked, speaking to them for almost the first time since they had gotten there. He circled around them to sit behind his desk. 

Jessamine smirked. “The man we met yesterday. _Oswald Black_.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Corvo. “Totally Corvo’s type.”

His eyebrows drew together, but Daud made no comment on Oswald, ignoring Jessamine’s words. “Well, let's get back to what we were doing, shall we?”

Nodding, Jessamine said, “Yes, you wanted to talk to us about Billie.” Before last night Jessamine has actually been very doubtful of Daud’s daughter. Not of her musical abilities, but of her ability to mesh with the two of them. But now, between her musical talent, bringing the artist along, and the fun they had after a few drinks... Corvo knew the odds were in Billie’s favor. She wouldn’t be letting go of this drummer as easily as the last. 

Daud hummed. “Yes and I know you’re going to want to look at some more-“

“Not at all,” Jessamine interrupted him. “Billie was amazing last night.” She shrugged. “If she’s open to staying with us, I’d love to go ahead and do the recordings you suggested.” She looked over at Corvo. “What do you think, Corvo?”

_Anyone is better than Delilah._ “I liked Billie,” he agreed. “But I think we should work with her a little more before recording anything.” 

Daud nodded. “I think that would be a good idea, yes. Do you want to me to talk to Billie about all this?”

“That sounds good,” Jessamine answered. “She can call us when she wants to meet again. Our schedule is flexible.”

“I'll let her know, then,” Daud said.

As Jessamine and Corvo stood to leave, so did Daud. He shook both their hands in turn as he told them goodbye.

As the pair left the office, Jessamine bumped hips with Corvo. “You never quite said what you thought about Oswald,” she teased.

“Maybe I never will,” he whispered like it was a secret, leaning down to her slightly. She laughed. “It doesn’t matter,” he chuckled. “Whether he’s cute or not-“

“And he is,” Jessamine said.

“He probably isn’t interested.”

“Only one way to find out,” Jessamine grinned. Corvo just sighed at her. She was so insistent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would things be easier if there was a right way Honey, there is no right way, And so I fall in love just a little ol' little bit, Every day with someone new 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> ~~i believe i did this correctly, help me obi juan whoever the fuck you are, you're my only ho~~


	4. Oswald, Monday September 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vexation: noun; the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried

Oswald fiddled with the scrap of paper Billie had given him, staring at the number on it, phone in his other hand. He sighed, finally dialing the number and calling. _One can only stare at a blank canvas for so long before they caved._

“Hello?” A tiny chipper voice answered the phone. It was a child. _Did Jessamine Kaldwin even have children?_ She seemed a bit young, but he suppose anything was possible. 

He frowned. Maybe he had gotten the wrong number. “Is Jessamine there?”

“Mmmhmmm.” 

“Uhh, can I talk to her?” He laughed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Maybe he had been awake for too long, this was beginning to feel a lot more comical than it should have. Glancing at his watch he saw that this was definitely the case. It was eight and he had forgone sleep entirely somehow. _Whoops._

For a moment there was only the sound of rustling and the sound of sneakers on hardwood floor. “Mom, there’s someone on the phone for you.” _She did have kids then. Huh._

There was a bit more rustling and then, “Hello?” 

“Hi,” Oswald greeted her. “It’s Oswald Black...The artist...Billie gave me your number,” he explained. 

Jessamine was silent for a moment. _Did she forget me?_ Eventually she spoke though, “What can I do for you, Oswald?” 

His eyes flickered to his blank canvas. “I have a problem.” Switching the phone to his other hand he stood up and grabbed his sketchbook off the floor. “You uh, didn’t really give me anything to go on when you asked for that painting.” Flicking through the sketchbook he frowned. _How had literally everything he had drawn recently involved someone naked?_ Finally, after flipping through all the nude drawings, he got to the page he wanted. “I had some ideas but I really just don’t know what you want.”

“What sort of ideas?” Jessamine asked. 

Oswald shrugged, as if she could see him. “Just...some stuff.” The list was, admittedly, a short one. Portraits, which seemed...safe enough- only he didn't have much to go on what with only having met them once. Well, twice in Corvo’s case, but no one needed to know that. And then the second and only other thing on the list, birds. That one he didn't know how had become an idea, but it had. He cleared his threat. “It's not important, really,” he told Jessamine. “I just need to know what _you_ want.”

“Well, I really didn't have anything in particular in mind.” A pause. “Do you think coming to see the apartment would help?” She asked. “If you aren't busy you could come over right now actually.”

“I mean…” He wasn't busy, but he was tired. Sleep should probably be priority one. But then that had never stopped him before. 

“Corvo is making breakfast.” She sounded hopeful. “We’ll feed you.”

Oswald sighed. The only real way to tempt him- food. Breakfast food at that. “What's the address?” He asked, already moving to find his hoodie and his keys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wish we could turn back time To the good old days, When our momma sang us to sleep but, Now we're stressed out


	5. Jessamine, Monday September 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stranger: noun; a person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar

Corvo sighed, shaking his head at her. “Who did you invite over for breakfast?” He sat down next to Emily at the kitchen counter with his plate. “Which is done by the way,” he said. “Breakfast, that is.”

Jessamine half shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t mind too much. “Just Oswald,” she said, stealing a piece of bacon off his plate as she sat down with them. “I told him he could look at the new apartment?”

Emily looked up then, her bright-eyed-bushy-tailed face lighting up even more at the mention of someone new. “Who’s Oswald?” she asked around a bite of eggs. 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, baby,” Jessamine reminded her daughter. “And Oswald is an artist who’s going to paint something for us.”

Emily’s eyes widen, clearly excited. “Can I meet him?” She asked, ever hopeful.

“No,” Corvo answered. “You have to go to school.” He tousled her hair. “And I have to take you there.” Looking pointedly at Jessamine, “So,” he said, “I think Mom will be the only one seeing Oswald today.”

Jessamine smiled. “Another time, I promise.” Emily nodded agreeably. Being their own little artist, she jumped at any given opportunity to learn more- even from people she didn't know. Not to mention her near desperate want for more friends (which often made Jessamine’s heart hurt). 

Realizing she was still in pajamas, Jessamine got up, taking Corvo’s toast with her. “I've got to go get dressed. Don't let Emily forget her lunch, it's in the fridge.” She kissed Corvo on the cheek. “Have a good day at school, baby,” she added, leaning down to kiss Emily’s on top of the head. They both just smiled and nodded at her. 

Oswald had said it wouldn't take long to get the apartment, so Jessamine tried to find her clothes quickly (calling one last goodbye to Corvo and Emily as she heard them leaving), but she struggled to find the will to actually get out of her fluffy pajamas and old t-shirt as she sat on the bed for a few minutes. Eventually she did, putting on smart jeans and a blouse, instead of her usual pantsuits. By the time she had managed to get her hair up and put on shoes there was a knock on the door. 

She ran to answer it, pulling the door open without even bothering to look through the peephole. It wasn’t Oswald as she had expected, but a woman. Dressed in some sort of business ensemble with a skirt, she looked like she was on her way to a job interview. Jessamine thought she recognized her from one of the times they had met with Daud, but she couldn’t be sure. The short brown hair was defintely familar. As was the slightly crooked and upturned nose. Still- she couldn’t quite place her. “Um, hi,” Jessamine said, trying to hide her frown now. 

“Hi,” the woman replied cheerfully. “I heard you were looking for a new drummer.” She cracked a smile. “And I think I might be able to help with that.” Awkwardly, she made a sort of drumming motion and laughed. When her slight demonstration was met with silence, the stranger’s smile faltered slightly. “...Am I at the wrong apartment?” 

Jessamine blinked at her. “Uh, no,” she said. _How did you know where we lived?_ “But the position has been filled. I’m sorry.” 

Her smile fell instantly. “Oh...are you sure?” 

_Certain now, in fact._ “Yeah,” Jessamine nodded. “Sorry.”

The woman was near tears now. “Yeah,” she sniffed. “Okay. I'll just...go then.” Turning on her heel she quickly made her way down the hall. Jessamine shut the door just as quick. _That was weird._

She made a mental note to ask Daud about the woman. She didn’t think he would send potential applicants to her door, especially not after they’d agreed on Billie, but… He might know something about her, at any rate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And somehow I know that it’ll all turn out, You'll make me work so we can work to work it out, And promise you kid I'll give so much more than I get, I just haven't met you yet


	6. Oswald, Monday, September 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disorder: noun; a state of confusion

A woman rushed past him, bumping into him hard enough that he stumbled backwards, but didn’t slow down in the slightest. “Sorry for obviously getting in your way,” Oswald called sarcastically (and grumpily) after the woman. He questioned again why he had agreed to this instead of getting some sleep. 

Continuing down the hallway, he was still as bemused at how nice the place was compared to his own apartment building. _Where on earth would they be moving that was better than this place?_ This was as nice as apartment buildings got, really. There was a doorman (who greeted him by name, oddly enough, and directed him to ‘Miss Kaldwin’s’ apartment) and security cameras, and everything was clean and...for lack of a better descriptor, fancy looking. He couldn't help but feel out of place. 

Knocking on the door he had been told was Jessamine Kaldwin’s, Oswald took a deep breath. _What was he even going to tell her?_ She was expecting something from him and he really didn't know what that something was. “Oh, thank God, it's you,” was the first thing he heard when he door was pulled open all of a sudden. Jessamine actually looked a little frazzled, but glad to see him. As she recognized him, he could see her exhale slightly as her brow unknitted itself. “There was a woman here a second ago and she was…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “But come in. Come in.” She moved aside to let him in.

Stepping inside the fairly lavish apartment, he asked, “Is this the apartment?” Looking around the apartment he saw a lot of boxes mostly, but the apartment itself didn’t look obscenely fancy, unlike the rest of the building. He spotted leather furniture, and even a grand piano. He had to wonder how they had even gotten it through the door, but he supposed that might be a question for another time. 

She closed the door behind him. “No, it's upstairs actually. I thought you might like to eat before we went up. I did promise you breakfast after all.” Jessamine gave him a slightly sheepish look. “It might be a bit cold by now, though.”

Oswald almost snorted at her. Like eating cold food was a problem for him. The most he had at home was pop-tarts. “It's fine. We can go upstairs now.” He was practically dead on his feet by now, he was sort of just ready to go back home- shitty as it was compared to this place. Food or no food, he wanted to be asleep.

“Really? Are you sure you don't want some food?” She made a small step further into the apartment, looking at him questioningly. 

Oswald nodded. “I'm sure. I don't want to intrude anymore than I already am,” he added the last bit with a shrug. None of his foster parents had ever taught him much, but at the very least Vera, his last so-called foster parent, had been insistent that he was polite and learned manners. That all kinda went down the drain with the coming of his career in crime, but still. 

Jessamine shrugged. “Alright. I guess follow me then.” She motioned for him to come with her, opening the door for him as they went out. “You look kind of tired by the way,” she told him as they began walking. “You alright?”

_Define alright._ “Yeah,” he said. “Just didn't sleep well last night.” _Actually, he thought, I didn't sleep at all last night, but that's beside the point._

“Have you tried earplugs?” She asked, glancing back at him as they came to the elevator. She pressed the button. “That usually helps me when I can't sleep. I like the quiet though.” She shrugged.

Oswald sighed. “I’ve tried everything.” He really had. There was very little he hadn’t tried. Sound machines, reading, hot showers, sleep meds- nothing ever really worked. Well...besides one thing, but that one was hard to come by at times. Jessamine frowned at him, tilting her head to the side. “Insomnia,” he explained. 

“Aw.” She put a hand on his arm sympathetically. 

He shrugged, not saying anything. It was fine. He was used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I ask myself, what am I doin' here?


	7. Corvo, Monday, September 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Defense: noun; the action of defending from or resisting attack

He passed the pink backpack off to Emily along with her matching lunchbox as they neared her school. “That everything?” Corvo asked, just in case. He had been known to forget some things every now and then. 

She nodded, swinging his hand she still held between them. “Yep.”

“Do you want me to come in?” He asked when they stopped at the gate in front of the school. Children passed them both, none of them paying any attention to them. 

Emily shook her head, but before she could say anything the teacher who had been standing at the sidewalk watching the kids came over. “Well, hello Emily.” She smiled looking up at Corvo. “And Mr. Kaldwin.”

“It’s Attano actually,” he corrected her. _We’ve met twenty times, could you get my name right at least once?_

She just laughed. “Oh, yes. Sorry about that.” Looking down at Emily she added, “Emily, dear, why don’t you go on inside? I wanted to talk to your father about something.” 

Exchanging equally confused looks the pair parted, Emily joining the other children as they all made their way through the front doors. 

“Is there something wrong?” He asked turning his attention back to Emily’s teacher. 

The woman sighed. “Well,” she began. “It’s just that I’m worried about your daughter, Mr. Attano?” He raised his eyebrows, prompting her to continue. “She doesn’t really have a lot of friends.”

“We uh...We know,” he sighed. “But we can't really make the other kids like her.” God knew he would if he could. She was such a lonely child. 

“Well, that’s the thing,” Ms. Raven said. “The other kids.” Her expression became rather pinched. “They’ve been picking on her lately.”

“Maybe you should be talking to those kids’ parents then,” he suggested. “Unless you’re suggesting I talk to them?” Not that he was unwilling, but he got the feeling no one actually wanted him to get that involved. 

The teacher paled, just a tad. “No, that’s— that isn’t what I was suggesting, Mr. Kaldwin, no. I just meant… perhaps you could talk to Emily about it? Why she and the other kids don’t seem to get along?”

Corvo felt the corners of his mouth turn down. It was starting to look a little bit like the teacher was pawning off the unfriendliness as Emily’s fault.

The teacher, wringing her hands slightly, looked up at Corvo. He had a few inches on almost anyone, as tall as he was, and the teacher was no exception. “Has anyone said _why_ they insist on bullying my daughter?”

“Well, she talks to the new student a fair bit, and I’m not quite sure he’s found his place here quite yet—” the teacher began, and Corvo’s frown only grew. “And the other children don’t seem to want to not include either of them in activities anymore...” She was getting bullied for having a friend. _Great._

“I see. Well, I’ll make sure to tell Emily to _not_ be nice to the new kids here,” Corvo answered dryly. “Is that all, Ms. Raven?” 

The teacher opened and shut her mouth once. “I— yes, Mr. Kaldwin.”

“Attano,” he sighed, and left. Getting teachers to learn his name would be the least of his problems now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I could fly, Then I would know, What life looks like from up above and down below, I'd keep you safe, I'd keep you dry, Don't be afraid, Cecilia, I'm the satellite, And you're the sky 


	8. Oswald, Monday September 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opulence: noun; great wealth or luxuriousness

It was a big place. Huge, in fact. “So,” he said, not moving past the entry way. “The penthouse.” It was making him a little anxious how open and big it was, actually. If he had been out of place in the hallway, he sure as hell didn’t belong in here. 

“Yep!” Jessamine confirmed cheerfully, walking through the open space towards the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the apartment. “It’s quite nice, don’t you think?” She sighed, apparently content. 

_It’s something alright._ “Great,” he told her. Finally, stepping forward he moved to look around a little. Immediately in front of him seemed to a be a sort of den space, to the right a kitchen and dining room (partly separated from the den by a wall), to the left a hallway which he assumed went to the bedrooms. 

He didn’t venture that way, instead moving towards the kitchen. Everything was all pristine white paint and wooden floors. The island in the center of the kitchen and the counter were marble, of course. Glass cabinets. Stainless steel appliances. Oswald thought comparatively of his own kitchen, which had none of these things. 

He glanced back at the wall separating the space from the den. A blank canvas. “Uh, how many paintings were you thinking? There’s a lot of wall space, so I doubt that will be a problem.” There was a lot of everything actually. He doubted space would ever be an issue for them. 

Jessamine followed him into the kitchen. “How many do you think you could paint for me?” She followed his eye to the wall he was staring at. 

Oswald laughed. _What kind of question is that?_ “I can paint until my fingers are blue, Miss Kaldwin. I suppose it would depend what you wanted to pay me though.”

Jessamine sat down one one of the stools at the counter, only a few feet away from him, leaning her elbows back on the stone countertop. “Tell me what’d you’d propose I pay you and we’ll discuss it.” 

“Tell me what you want. How many. How big.” He couldn't keep going on nothing here. 

“Say to start, you do four paintings. One on that wall, itself,” she nodded towards the wall they were both facing now. “Two smaller ones to put in the entryway and another large one for the master bedroom.”

“Okay. Say I figure up the price of supplies later and we tack that on to…” Oswald paused, trying to find the brain power to add it all up with so little sleep. He also tried to guesstimate sizes based on the vague non-specific sizes she’d given him. He studied the wall in front of him— _that would be a specially-made canvas for sure, probably one in the bedroom as well…_ The two for the entryway were probably available off the rack at the art store. “Depending on the exact size you want? Two thousand, easily. And several months’ worth of work all in all.”

“Are you lowballing me?” Jessamine asked. “You shouldn’t. It’s not like I can’t afford it, I promise you.”

“Three thousand then.”

“You’re sure that’ll be enough?”

“I mean…” Oswald trailed off. “I guess?” He couldn’t help but laugh again, maybe sounding a little hysterical- this was all getting too much to handle with no sleep. “It seems fair to me. You?”

She grinned. “Exceptionally so.” Holding out her hand she said, “We have an agreement then?”

Oswald took it, nodding. “We do, but one more thing.” She tilted her head to the side curiosity. “You have to tell me what you want me to paint,” he told her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I was a wealthy girl, No man could test me, impress me, My cash flow would never ever end, Cause I'd have all the money in the world, If I was a wealthy girl


	9. Jasper, Monday September 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siblings: noun; each of two or more children or offspring having one or both parents in common; a brother or sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasp* the first Jasper chapter (I love her so much woW)

The sky was blue and the sun was out with not a cloud in sight. All that and it was miraculously today. It all _almost_ made up for the fact that her brother and his nanny showed up without their sister. He sat down across from her at the table outside the little cafe, brown eyes regretful, already knowing what she was gonna ask. 

Jasper clutched the carefully gift wrapped book in her hands, instantly agitated. “Where’s Jade?” She said, already knowing the answer to her question.

Mica sighed. “Mom insisted she had to take her shopping today.” He ran a hand through his dark shaggy hair. “For her birthday, of course.”

_Of course._ Jasper sighed, tossing the gift and her phone down on the table finally, her anger already fizzling out. “Whatever,” she shook her head; she'd give Jade her birthday present another time. “What's new with you, loser?” She kicked his foot lightly under the table. It had been a while since she'd seen either of them, she didn't know half of what either of her siblings were up to anymore. God knew what their parents were making them do. Last time they had met up Jade was being forced into learning Japanese (which, they all had, but it still sort of pissed her off. Mica and Jade were proper Fontaines, not “rescued” from some poor corner of Japan like Jasper was).

He shrugged, not really looking at her. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” She snorted. “Don't lie, Mica. You’re not good at it.” 

He shrugged again. She waited, knowing he'd say something eventually if she did. Finally, quietly, he said, “I got kicked off the debate team.”

Jasper frowned. Dad couldn't have liked that much. “Well,” she said, “You hated debate anyway.” He merely nodded in agreement. “And-”

“Jas, it’s fine.” He gave her a look that said ‘stop it’.

She hummed. “Okay.” She wouldn't push it then; he had enough of that already with their parents. “Anything else? How's Jade been?”

Smiling fondly he said, “Well, she found a D&D group. She goes and plays every Friday after tutoring. I bought her dice for her birthday,” he added. 

“Aw,” Jasper grinned. “D&D- our little nerd sister is growing up,” she laughed. The three of them had played board games once upon a time. _So much for that now._ Mica laughed though, nodding. “How’d she find people to play with?”

“Online,” Mica answered. He caught her reproachful look. “They meet at a Starbucks, everyone’s basically her age, and Mother and Father think it’s an after school writing club. Something like practicing essays.”

Jasper sighed. “Alright then. So long as she’s alright. They’ll never think to check in a Starbucks, anyway. Too plebeian.” She paused a moment. “What about the Japanese lessons?” She asked.

_“Kuso,”_ Mica rolled his eyes at her.

Mrs. Howell gave Mica a nasty look. He had the decency to look a little bit ashamed. Jasper snickered. “Didn’t know they taught you that one.”

“They didn’t,” Ms. Howell answered. “He learned that one himself.”

“Well, actually, she's better than me, but she doesn't really like it.” Mica continued, sidestepping the accusation. Jasper shook her head. Jade always was the brightest of the family. She was going to surpass them all one day. “What have you-” Her phone buzzed, interrupting him. Glancing down she saw it was Oswald. 

`**Oswald:** Where are you? You've got a woman here who said she has an appointment with you.`

_Oh, hell._ Dolphin lady. She had forgotten about that. “That your boyfriend?” Mica asked, teasingly. 

Jasper snorted. “He wishes he could get a girl like me.” Sighing, she added, “I have to go actually. I forgot I had someone coming in this early.” She thought they'd have more time to talk. She had wanted to ask him about their mother’s latest hysterics.

“Alright.”

Standing up Jasper ruffled her brother’s too-long hair. “You need anything before I go? Or anything for Jade?” She asked, picking her things up off the table.

Mica shook his head. “We’re good, Jazz.”

“Alright.” She worried about them. She really did. “Bye, kid. And cut your hair, I’m surprised Mother hasn’t thrown a fit over it.” She waved bye to him as she went to go. 

“Bye,” she heard him call after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey brother, There's an endless road to rediscover, Hey sister, Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker, Oh, if the sky comes falling down, For you, there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do


	10. Corvo, Monday September 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bully: noun; a person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker

He let himself fall across the bed, his head landing on Jessamine’s outstretched legs. She rested a hand on his head, pulling her fingers through his hair, not even looking up from her book. “Our daughter is getting bullied at school,” Corvo sighed. There was really no sugar coating it. 

Jessamine put down her book. “What?”

“I was told it was due to being friends with the new kid.” She stared at him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I’m gonna be honest and say I don't know what I’m supposed to do about this.” He couldn’t make other kids like her. He couldn’t tell her to stop hanging around with literally her only friend. What did people do in this situation?

Jessamine was quiet for a moment, her lips pressed into a hard line. “Did you talk to the teacher about the other kids?” She asked, her voice kicking into her ‘business’ tone.

He nodded. “Apparently the other parents have been asked to talk to their children.” 

“Have you talked to Emily?” 

“Wanted to tell you first.”

She sighed. “Tomorrow then. We’ll ask her about it and talk.”

“And tell her what? She shouldn't be friend with the new kid?” He rolled his eyes. “Do you know what happened, Jess? She was defending this kid ‘cause they were getting picked on first and now they're friends.” Jessamine put a hand on her chest. “I know,” he sighed. At the same time he was proud of her, he also didn't want her getting hurt cause other kids were assholes. He wondered if it were morally okay to call ten-year-olds assholes. Probably not, but then it wasn't morally okay to bully other ten-year-olds either. “She’s a good kid,” he said.

“She is,” Jessamine sighed. “At least she has a friend now, I guess.”

“I guess,” Corvo agreed. _At least she has a friend._ That was some comfort, at least. Now how the hell was he supposed to tell his daughter that her new friend was why everyone was being mean to her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck, Some nights, I call it a draw


	11. Corvo Tuesday, September 4th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Optimism: noun; hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something

As they walked to school that day he felt slightly less at ease. Even with Jessamine there, happily chatting away with Emily as they walked. “So, Em,” he finally said,when they had quieted for a moment. “Your teacher told me the other day that the other kids weren’t being very nice to you.” He glanced down at her warily. “Why didn’t you let us know, honey?”

Emily, for all that her usual little optimism could do, did not hide her sadness. She gave them both a small shrug. “I dunno.” Looking up at them finally, she asked, “Am I in trouble?”

He sighed. “No, of course not, baby, but,” Jessamine began, “Next time let us know if you have a problem, okay? We wanna help with whatever might be going on. Always.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Jessamine smiled, gripping her small hand a little bit tighter. “Your teacher told us you made a new friend, too. Tell us about them. Maybe we could have a playdate soon.” 

Emily smiled a little at that, breaking his heart. _This._ This was why they were treating her this way. She was too innocent for this. It made his chest hurt. “His name is Wyman,” she grinned. “We both like dinosaurs and…” And she was off, telling them every speck of information she could think of about her newfound friend.


	12. Oswald, Tuesday September 4th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligated: verb; bind or compel (someone) especially legally or morally

When the woman he was talking to left, after being told ‘no, I don't do piercings’ and getting her to put her shirt back on, Jasper wandered over to him. “What's up with the giant canvas sitting in the middle of the floor?” She looked pointedly at the large canvas parked against the front desk. 

“I plan to put paint on it,” Oswald told her tiredly. He really wasn’t sure where he was going to do that one. It was too big to feasibly try to do in his apartment. He didn’t exactly want to do it here, but he didn’t really have any other options. 

She rolled her eyes at him. “I was kinda wondering why it was _here._ It's getting in the way.” She looked at the thing pointedly.

He sighed. “I don't have anywhere else to put it.”

Jasper pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. “Fine. Whatever.” She starting moving back towards her own desk. 

“Hey, if you've got storage suggestions- feel free to lay ‘em on me,” he called after her. He couldn't imagine she was gonna have any better ideas than him, but he was open to them if she did. 

Jasper snorted. “Up your ass, Oswald.” He just laughed. She rolled her eyes. “Your rich new girlfriend didn’t give you a studio for it?”

“You’re especially vindictive today, Jasper,” Oswald sighed, standing up. He supposed he should at least move the canvas into the back room or something. 

“Yeah,” she said, not sounding particularly apologetic about the fact. “Your mother called.”

“She’s not my mother.” Technically, this was true; legally, Oswald Black had never been adopted by Vera Moray (nor her late husband). However, he had lived in her house for the last few years before he aged out of the system and they still talked semi-regularly. 

“You call her Granny, I think she counts as something,” Jasper insisted, propping her feet on her desk and picking up a sketchbook.

“Whatever.” Oz propped the painting up against the wall with the sketching he’d already done pointed towards the wall. No need for anyone else to see it. “What did she want?”

Jasper, lazily drawing her pencil across her sketchpad, didn’t bother looking at him. “Oh, nothing from you. She asked me to fill in at the Gilded Peacock again. In the rudest way possible, too.”

“Can’t imagine what you’d done to deserve it,” Oswald said dryly, settling back in at his desk. Sometimes he worried about Granny, how she managed to run a burlesque club at her age was a mystery. Especially having to put up with dancers like Jasper.

“Glad you agree,” Jasper said, pointedly ignoring his sarcasm. “Anyway, yeah, keep your overlarge canvas out of the back room; if I’m working for your mother more, then I need to practice more. I can’t do both these jobs at once.” 

“You know you could always turn her down,” he reminded her. 

“She’s given me two jobs now, Oswald- I’m kind of obligated.” 

“Fine,” he sighed, knowing she was right. Jasper, while an amazing dancer (he had seen her once or twice passing through to see Granny), had been discovered as an artist by Granny while working at the club. She took her in as an apprentice at the Void, much like she had done Oswald, and voila- Jasper had a new job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story goes, from what I've heard, That those who go there don't return, But I've come back a time or two, Cause I don't have a thing to lose
> 
> Did any of you know that I would both die and kill for Jasper cause ye honestly


	13. Oswald, Wednesday September 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dislike: verb; feel distaste or hostility toward

The cat wouldn’t stop crying. Though maybe howling was a better word. Oswald deeply wished it would stop. Just for a moment even. It was making it hard to concentrate. 

Finally, he put his brush down, sighing. _How thin are these walls?_ Either it was an incredibly loud cat or they were made of paper. “Whatever,” Oswald mumbled to himself, rubbing his face. “Need a break anyway.” He looked at the small canvas he was working on. Jessamine had said he could try out whatever he wanted, but this didn't seem much good. Squinting at the dark feathers he had been working on, he wondered if it had been a okay choice of subject. A raven. _Nevermore._

Turning away he decided not to think about it anymore. He'd finish it tomorrow. In the meantime, he needed to eat and sleep and get the paint off his hands. Not in that order of course. 

Going into his kitchen he realized he really didn't have much to eat actually. There were blueberry Poptarts...and orange juice. Oswald shrugged to himself, grabbing both and setting them on the counter. He'd go shopping later. Maybe.

Munching on a poptart he listened to the cat on the other side of his wall, feeling only slightly less agitated with food in his stomach. God he wished that thing lived literally anywhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it is pride month. happy pride.
> 
>  
> 
> [it's gonna be gay](https://wittyshades.tumblr.com/post/174478624838/sowhenthehighschoolgymgoesboom-its-pride-month)


	14. Oswald, Wednesday September 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Favor: noun; an act of kindness beyond what is due or usual

The night air was absolutely freezing and he would probably have frostbite by the time he got home, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. He had always preferred the night though. It felt only natural somehow. 

Even so, the dark and lovely night was beginning to become a touch annoying as he carried his groceries home. His phone wouldn't stop ringing. It was probably best he couldn't reach it. If he could have reached it he probably would have thrown under the nearest moving car. 

Thankfully it had stopped ringing by the time he got to his apartment. Unfortunately, that was when he actually could set his things down. He checked his phone after dumping all his groceries on the counter. Jasper. Oswald hesitated only momentarily before calling her back. Whatever she wanted it must have been important if she had called him so many times. 

She didn't answer. Somehow he wasn't surprised. “Thanks for calling me twelve times before promptly throwing your phone into the ocean,” Oswald told her voicemail. “Or at least that's what I'm assuming happened. I'll also assume whatever you wanted wasn't actually that important. Call me back if I'm wrong.” He ended it there, throwing his phone onto the counter next to his things and not feeling terribly concerned about things. He seriously doubted he would be the first person Jasper called in an emergency. Besides he had other things to worry about today. Like finish a painting. 

Glancing over at the half finished painting, Oswald sighed. _That, and he had to figure out what else he needed to start sketching up for the others._ Art was easier when people told you what they wanted, he had decided and Jessamine Kaldwin was not making this easy. She insisted that he use his best judgement on subject matter. The best he had been able to come up with had been a crow- which, if she doesn't like it, she can blame her boyfriend for making him think of corvids. 

Sitting down he grabbed the notebook he had been doodling in before he left. It was just birds. Crows and owls and hummingbirds. Sighing, Oswald flipped back through the pages- he wasn't going to do birds for everything, that he knew. He stopped when he got to some old sketches he had done for Billie when they had been trying to find the right design for her back piece. 

He pulled a pen out of a nearby cup, a thought forming. Flipping to a new page he began sketching. How did Jessamine Kaldwin feel about mermaids, he wondered. _Better yet- how does she feel about skeletons?_

His phone began ringing again as he started on the skull. He paused into to get up and grab it before sitting back down with his sketchbook. “What do you want, Jasper?” Oswald asked, frowning as he continued to draw.

There was a lot of background noise on her end of the line. “I need a favor,” she told him, though he had to strain to hear her. 

Sighing, he paused what he was doing finally and setting his things aside. “What?” 

“I need you to come bail me out of jail.”

“Excuse me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked, Until we close our eyes for good"


	15. Jasper, Wednesday  September 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bail: noun; money paid for the release of an accused person as security

“I'll pay you back,” Jasper assured him.

“That's not really the issue I’m having here,” Oswald told her as they walked out of the police station together, him holding the door open for her. 

Oswald seemed...disheveled and perhaps a bit confused- as though she had actually woken him up (which she knew wasn’t the case). Between the rumpled clothes and the giant cowlick he was sporting, which she opted not to tell him about, he could have fooled her. Aside from the fact that he looked like he just crawled out of bed though, she noticed that he didn’t actually appear to be terribly annoyed with her. Which was surprising purely because she had expected him to be. Most people were pissed when you asked them for bail money. 

“What’s the issue then?” She asked him, as they walked across the parking lot, grey gravel crunching beneath their feet. 

“You won’t tell me what happened.”

“It’s none of your business.” The response was automatic and came out a bit harsher than she had intended it to. 

He stopped. “Really? Cause actually, when I came down here to bail you out, it _became_ my business. So, you’re gonna tell me, or you’re walking your ass home.” Piercing green eyes stared at her, waiting on an answer. 

Jasper debated, for a moment, how much she would prefer her private life private versus the very long and cold walk home. Finally, she sighed. “I punched a guy, okay? That’s it.” She threw her hands up. Oswald just stood there, crossing his arms. She rolled her eyes. “Alright, I might have broken his nose, but he had it coming.” _That much was true._ The guy had had it coming. She has warned him not to put his hands on her friend twice. Twice. The third time she hit him. _Asshole._ “It was Pendleton, okay, Pendleton saw me and Lydia and wouldn’t fuck off. Happy?”

Oswald shook his head. “You could’ve just said ‘Pendleton,’ and left it at that.” Morgan and Custis Pendleton were some of the biggest lechers to haunt the club circuit. Most places had already banned them. Jasper constantly wondered why Granny didn’t just ban them herself. Probably all the money they brought in. “Let’s go.” He walked on, nodding for her to come with him as he fished around in his pockets. 

When they got to his motorcycle she stopped. “You came on your bike?” Jasper asked. She might as well have walked home in the cold.

He stared at her, keys now in hand. “What else would I come on?” He raised a delicate eyebrow. 

“A car?”

“You think I have a motorcycle _and_ a car?” Oswald laughed, loudly, seeming absolutely delighted that she had thought he had a car. Truth be told she had never given it all much thought, but in retrospect it kind of was a ridiculous notion. “What kind of life do you think I’m living exactly?” He laughed again, unclipping a helmet from the side of the bike and holding it out. “You should just feel lucky I thought to swing by and borrow Billie’s helmet, alright?”

Jasper snatched the helmet away from him. “Whatever. Just take me home.” She put the helmet on, the hand she used to punch the guy at the club protesting in pain as she began using it again. 

Pulling on his own helmet as he got on the motorcycle he said, “You know you owe me big time now, right?” 

Sitting down behind him she nodded. “Yeah.” She knew that when she called him, though. Of her choices of people to owe things to, she thought perhaps he would be the least unpleasant about it. 

“Alright then,” he said. “Hold on tight and don’t let go.” 

“This is gonna be cold as fuck, isn’t it?” She asked, putting her arms around his thin frame and locking her hands together. 

“Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honey, it's always the right time to do the wrong thing


	16. Corvo, Thursday September 6th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Involved: verb; 1 (of a situation or event) include (something) as a necessary part or result 2 be engaged in an emotional or personal relationship

“Hello?” He answered the phone after the fifth ring. I would be for Jessamine whoever it was, but she was in the shower. 

“Hi. I’m looking for Jessamine Kaldwin,” a familiar voice told him. It was _Oswald_. “Is she there?”

Corvo briefly wondered, not for the first time, why the man seemed so familiar. Quickly he answered, ignoring the thought. “She’s in the shower actually, but I can probably help with whatever you needed.”

“Ah.” Oswald hummed for a second. “Well, Jessamine wanted to see the first painting as soon as it was done and well...the paint’s drying as we speak.”

Corvo thought about it for a moment. “Come by tomorrow. We’ll both be around all day I think.” _Probably._ He didn’t know of any plans they had tomorrow at least. Jessamine might have to go in to see her father, but that would be the extent of it. 

“Oh.” The artist sounded surprised. 

“Something the matter?”

“I didn’t know you were involved in this. I thought this was Jessamine's project.” A pause. “If I had known you cared I would have waited to talk about subject matter with the both of you.”

“It was her idea, yeah,” Corvo agreed. “But I’m also involved, so to speak.” He was always involved. With everything. It was the way things had always been with the two of them. They were in these things together. 

“I see,” Oswald said. “Well, apologies about that then.”

“It’s fine.” 

There was a long beat of silence between them, both of them not quite knowing what to say now but neither really wanting to go for some reason. Finally, Oswald spoke, “I have to go. There’s um...some stuff I need to do.”

“Okay,” Corvo said, nodding despite the fact the other man couldn’t even see him. “We’ll see you tomorrow, I suppose.”

“Okay. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Corvo hung up, feeling oddly nostalgic about things now for reasons that escaped him.


	17. Oswald, Friday September 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Couple: noun; two individuals of the same sort considered together

He knocked on the door, wondering even as he did if he should have done so louder. _Did anyone even hear that?_ He had just raised his hand to knock again just as the door was pulled open. Corvo Attano looked at Oswald’s still raised fist very unconcerned. “Well, hello.” 

“Hi.” Oswald lowered his hand awkwardly. “I, uh, brought the painting.” He tapped the canvas tucked under his arm. 

“Well, come show us then,” the other man moved back, gesturing for him come in. Oswald did, trying his best not to bump into Corvo in the small entryway, which was not as easy as one might think. The man, by sheer fact of who he was, really, took up so much space. Corvo shut the door behind him, half leaning over him in the process. Oswald gritted his teeth, hands tightening on the painting so as not to reach out and touch him. He wondered then, briefly, why the man was so physically compelling. Brushing the thought off as they continued into the apartment, Oswald said, “Apologies again for not including you in previous conversations.”

Corvo shrugged. “It’s really fine.” 

“Nonetheless.”

Jessamine’s dainty form appeared in front of them as they came to the kitchen. Today, she did not seem nearly as put together as he usually found her. She had on a very messy apron and there was flour on her face. “Nonetheless what?” She seemed to catch herself then, perhaps realizing she was covered in baking ingredients. Clearing her throat awkwardly she said, “Sorry for, uh, being a mess, I’m baking.”

“She’s _trying_ to bake,” Corvo corrected, looking just a little bit smug. “She’s not doing it very well.”

Jessamine huffed indignantly, crossing her arms. “Well, maybe if you would help me I wouldn’t have as much trouble.”

“You said you didn’t want help,” Corvo said, instantly producing a pout from his girlfriend. 

“You-“

Oswald cleared his throat awkwardly. “Would you like to see the painting?” He tapped on the canvas again. 

Jessamine dropped her pout instantly. “Yes,” she smiled. “Absolutely. Come sit down, please. You can try my muffins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the little things in life that I feel


	18. Corvo, Friday September 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flirty: adjective; suggesting or expressing a playful sexual attraction

“You’re making a face.”

“I’m not,” Corvo said. Neither Jessamine nor Oswald seemed to believe him. They sat opposite him on the couch, a sketchbook with a plate of muffins on top of it between them. 

She nudged Oswald. “He’s making a face, right?” Jessamine squinted over at him suspiciously. 

He nodded, taking a bite of his own muffin. “I dunno why,” he said. “These are good muffins.”

“I never said they weren’t,” he tried to defend himself. He was starting to feel a bit ganged up on with the two of them. As time went on as they had been sitting around talking Jessamine had somehow been able to get Oswald entirely on her side. It wasn’t actually that big a surprise. Everyone liked Jessamine. 

“You didn’t say they were though,” Oswald pointed out, shrugging. He kept his eyes on Jessamine, as though they were keeping some sort of secret just between them. Corvo was a little annoyed that he didn’t know it himself. 

“Alright,” Corvo sighed. “Alright.” He waved them both away. “I get it. I’m a terrible person, but we actually do have to be moving things along here because we,” he look pointedly at Jessamine, “have to go pick Emily up from school in about an hour.”

Oswald nodded, taking this far more serious than Jess, who had just thrown a piece of muffin at him. “Well, I only had one more thing I wanted to ask about,” he said, looking at Corvo now.“If we’re done picking at Corvo, that is.” He smiled impishly. 

And there was something in that smile and in those mischievous green eyes that made something click together. It was actually a good thing he had his mouth full of muffin when he realized or he probably would have said something. He did know Oswald. _In more ways than one._

Jessamine smiled. “I think we are. What do you need, Oswald?” She asked, the conversation rolling on seemingly without him while he took a second to process things. _How had he forgotten to begin with? You’d think one would remember things like sleeping with a person._

“The big painting you asked me to do,” Oswald continued, looking a bit sheepish now. “The canvas is well...rather large. It won’t fit in my apartment. Or anywhere else for the matter. I was wondering if you’d mind me doing it in your apartment. The one upstairs.” He pointed upwards as if to stress his point. “And you could come up and check on things anytime, of course,” he added with a small shrug. 

_God, no._ Jessamine waved him away, seeming nonchalant about the whole thing. “By all means, Oswald. Whatever you need.” She smiled, looking over at Corvo. “It’s fine, right?” 

He sighed. “I mean, I guess?” _It would only be entirely awkward. The entire time._

“Great,” Jessamine nodded to Oswald. “I’ll grab the extra key for you.” She squeezed his shoulder as she stood up and went to find the key. Oswald watched her walk away and yet Corvo couldn’t stop staring at Oswald now. _Did **he** remember?_

Oswald finally looked away, bright green eyes staring back at him now. “Is she always this nice?” He asked, now moving the plate of muffins and taking his sketchbook back. 

Corvo nodded. “Always.” He hesitated a moment, but said, “And she likes you, so, she’s being extra charming.” She really was. It was borderline flirty. It was a good thing he wasn’t possessive. He supposed it was also pretty fair, considering he had gone so far as to sleep with the man himself. Sure, it had been years ago, but fair was fair. 

Oswald laughed lightly- tiredly. “Good to know.” A pause. He looked back up at Corvo, fingers fiddling restlessly with the pages of his notebook. “What about you? Do you like me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cause you make me feel like I've been locked out of heaven, For too long, for too long


	19. Oswald, Saturday September 8th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unwise: adjective; (of a person or action) npt wise or sensible, foolish

“So how’s the painting going?” Billie asked pulling her shirt back on. “I forgot to ask while you were stabbing me with your needles.”

“It’s just a few,” he reminded her. “And since you asked, I’m an idiot.”

“Wow. That bad?”

“Not that. I just did something one might consider unwise.” He stretched back in his chair, a pleasant sort of pain going through him as he did. Billie cocked her head at him, an invitation to continue. “Well, you know Corvo,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. 

“I do,” she nodded, waiting for the punchline.

“Uh, yeah, well, so did I even before you introduced us actually.” 

“Like...you dated him or something?” She raised an eyebrow, very curious now. 

Oswald nodded. _Or something. That was a good phrase for it for sure._ “More like I fucked him and we never talked again afterwards until now.” Billie blinked at him. “I don’t think he remembers,” he added hastily, while she still had her mouth closed. 

A very long moment passed between the two of them, Billie only staring at him from where she sat. Finally, she spoke, “What _unwise_ thing did you do, Oswald?” She sighed, putting her hands to her face. He almost felt bad for her. She had put it with so much of the stupid shit he did over the years; it was astounding. 

“I asked him if he liked me,” Oswald said the words and couldn’t help but laugh at himself. He was so damn stupid. _Why did I ask that? Am I actually stupid?_ It had been so ridiculous. Worse than ridiculous, it had been shocking. He had shocked himself. Albeit, not as much as he had shocked Corvo, who had merely stared at him and stuttered out a short, “Yes, actually,” before Jessamine had returned with the key to their apartment. 

Billie let out a short laugh too. “God, why? What did he say?” She shook her head. “I need more details here, Oswald.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, Billie. It just sort of happened. All of it.”

“What is _it_? Do you like him? Does he like you? He’s got Jessamine, you know.” She folded her arms, still staring at him in befuddlement. 

“I know,” he groaned. God, did he know. It was all he could think about now. _Was it worse that he liked Corvo or that he liked both of them?_ “I know,” he repeated. “But…”

“But what?” Billie cocked her head at him. “You don’t want to get into that? Affairs are...bad, Oswald. And wrong and they don’t end well anyway.”

“That’s not what…” 

“What do you want then?”

Oswald sighed, scrubbing at his eyes. “I don’t know. I like them, that’s all.” He didn’t particularly want anything from them. He just...liked them. They were cute, he couldn’t help it. 

“Them?” Billie’s mouth popped open. “As in Corvo _and_ Jessamine? Oswald Black, what are you doing?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “ _Them._ With their stupid perfect everything and their stupid perfect relationship.” _Why was that even attractive actually?_ “I’m not doing anything. I’m not, I just…” he trailed off. What was he doing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe all of these thing made me who I am


	20. Jasper, Saturday September 8th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burlesque: noun; a variety show, typically including a striptease

The dressing room was mostly quiet as Jasper and the two other girls got ready, each at a different stage of being dressed. Betty being practically done except for it being her time to go on stage, Lydia still working on her hair, and Jasper only having just sat down. “You wanna grab drinks later?” Betty asked, coming over and half draping herself across the vanity Jasper sat it. She wore what could only be described as a golden two piece with a sheer black robe over it. Glitter floated down into Jasper’s things as Betty fluffed her curled hair, examining herself one last time in the mirror. 

Jasper didn’t answer, trying to focus on getting her eyeliner straight. When she was done with one eye she looked at Betty. “No,” she told her honestly. “I want to go home and sleep after all this.”

Betty wrinkled her nose delicately. “You’re no fun sometimes, you know that.” She swished about in her robe in front of Jasper’s mirror one last time before heading out the door. 

Finally alone in the dressing room now, Lydia spoke up. “So, what did you need the other day, darling?” Lydia asked, finally seeming satisfied with her hair. “We never did get to talk after you hit that guy.” She smiled gently at Jasper as she walked by to grab her heels. 

Jasper shrugged, not looking over at her as she finished dressing. Her own outfit was actually quite similar to Betty’s. She usually went for feathers, but tonight she had been unable to find her black boa and simply hadn’t felt like dealing with the hassle of making up for that. Instead, she had opted for a something she hadn’t worn in a while- a red sequined two piece set under a black dress. It wasn’t an outfit she loved, but it would have to do for the night. 

“Nothing,” she said, finally answering Lydia as she sat down again to do her makeup. “Just a legal thing I had a question about. It’s fine though. Don’t worry about it.” It has been pointless anyway. She couldn’t _afford_ to get a lawyer involved in this. Her parents had too much money for her to play that game with them. 

Lydia looked over at her curiously. “Oh. You sure?”

“Absolutely.” She smiled. “I think you’re about to be up,” she nodded towards the door out of their dressing room. Really, Jasper just wanted her to go- she wasn’t in a social mood today. 

The other woman purses her lips. “You think so? Guess I better go then.” She stood up, shrugging. She stopped behind Jasper as she passed by to go, her hands landing on her shoulders gently. “Really, if you need something, Jasper, just let me know.” Jasper just nodded, letting her go without another word. 

Once the door had shut behind her Jasper put her makeup down. She was sweet but she couldn’t ask for her help. She couldn’t ask for anyone’s help. _If I really am going to be Mica and Jade’s guardian then I have to be able to do this._ She didn’t know how yet but she was going figure it all out. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes as she thought about how daunting the task was starting to seem. _What do I know about taking care of kids?_

Jasper shook her head, dabbing at the edges of her eyes. She wasn’t gonna cry. She was going to do her makeup and do her show and figure this shit out later. Plus, she knew more about kids than their asshole parents, that was for damn sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Do the right thing, do the right thing Do it all the time, do it all the time, Make yourself right, never mind 'em](%E2%80%9DDivisionary)


	21. Corvo, Sunday September 9th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artist: noun; a person who produces paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby

Emily hovered behind him as he walked around trying figured out what crap they should take upstairs today. They were doing it little by little and taking furniture up when they were both here. The Now Apartment, which was what he had come to think of it as, was becoming more and more bare as they moved things into the Future Apartment. 

They had planned on doing a bookshelf today, but since Jessamine had left to tend to whatever her father called her about, he and Emily were on their own today. “Wanna do the linen closets today, Em?” He asked, opening the door to said closet. It was actually more of a linen/cleaning closet, but nonetheless they would take its contents upstairs. 

Taking down a couple of pillows and a blanket from the top shelf he dropped them down to his daughter. “You can take those,” Corvo told her, pulling down a plastic storage container full of blankets. “And I will take all this,” said stacking a couple of things on top of the container as well. 

“I got the keys,” Emily told him as they made their way out the front door. 

“Thank you, baby,” he told her, letting her hold the door open for him. “But you don’t have to lock it. We’re just going upstairs.” She nodded, putting his keys into her jacket pocket. “You _can_ go push the the elevator button though,” he added, nodding to the end of the hall. 

She nodded again, determined to be helpful as she jogged down the hall with her pillows and jangling keys to press the button for them. “When are we gonna actually move in upstairs?” Emily asked as they stepped into the elevator. 

Corvo hummed. “As soon as we get around to moving our beds and stuff. We’ll get there. Don’t worry,” he said, nudging her with his elbow. She smiled, nudging him back as the elevator came to a slow halt. A quiet ding and the doors pulled open. 

“Open the door for me?” He look at Emily, then down the hall to their door. They had exactly one neighbor on this side of their floor. Potentially. If anyone else ever moved into the other penthouse. Corvo somehow doubted that would be happening anytime soon, though. 

Emily unlocked the door, playfully bowing as she opened it for him. “Let me get the door for you, my Lord.”

He snorted walking through. “Thank you, Empress.” She stuck her tongue out at him. He did the same back. They both stopped when they saw the apartment wasn’t empty. Oswald was there, his back turned to them from where he sat on the floor. _Oh._ Despite their noise he hadn’t turned around. Looking closer, Corvo saw he wore headphones as he sat scribbling something in a notebook that was in his lap. That explained that. The giant canvas he had told them about was leaned against the wall dividing the kitchen and the den. 

“Who’s that?” Emily asked, curiously. 

“Uh, the artist your mother was talking about the other day. Oswald.” He set the plastic container down right there in the entranceway. “I’ll go tell him we’re here.” Corvo walked over, bending down in front of him. 

Oswald looked plenty shocked, leaning back suddenly and eyes widening when he saw he wasn’t alone. He dropped his pencil, taking off his headphones and putting them around his neck. “Oh,” he said aloud. 

“Hi.” Emily echoed him from where she still stood in the doorway. 

Oswald whipped around to look at her too. “Oh,” he said again. “Hi.” He gave her a weak wave before turning back to look at Corvo. “I, uh,...I can go...if you want me to.” He said it all in a very questioning tone as if he wasn’t entirely sure if he was willing to go or not. 

Corvo hummed, for the first time his eyes drifting down to what the man had been drawing. “No. No, you’re fine.” He cocked his head at the notebook, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. _Is that a mermaid?_ He shook his head. “We’re just moving some things from one apartment to the other,” he told him. 

Standing up he beckoned Emily over. “And, before we get out of your hair, let me introduce my daughter. This is Emily,” he smiled as she came over. “Emily, this is Oswald.”

Oswald stood too, tossing his notebook aside. “Lovely to meet you, Emily.” He extended his hand, which Emily shook easily, though her hand was completely dwarfed by his own slender hand. 

“Are you an artist?” Emily asked, even as she did, looking at the canvas a few feet away. A budding artist herself Emily was fascinated by anything to do with art. Corvo got the feeling Oswald was about to be in for a very long conversation with his daughter. 

Oswald shrugged. “I’m...something like that, yes.”

“Can you draw me a chicken?”

Oswald look at Corvo, completely confused. Corvo just shrugged. What could he say? She just liked chickens.


	22. Jessamine, Sunday September 9th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paranoia: noun; suspicion and mistrust of people or their actions without evidence or justification

Sitting alone in her car, all Jessamine could think about was how much she needed a drink. But she always needed a drink after talking to her father. Leaning the seat back so she could lay down for a second, she wondered if Corvo would be willing to make her one when she got home. He used to be a bartender; he knew how to make all sorts of things. 

She closed her eyes, thinking also, that once again she neglected to tell her father that she wanted to quit. Her phone buzzed and she sighed. 

`**Corvo:** Oswald is in the upstairs apartment.`

Shrugging to herself she texted back, ‘we did give him a key.’ Corvo had been being weird about Oswald since the other day when they all met up again. She was really going to have ask him what his deal was. Still it was good to know that he was there. And since Corvo knew about it, he and Emily had decided to do something productive while she was gone and move some things. _God, I love them._

Sitting up finally she decided she’d go get everyone some dinner before she went home. Chinese. She was in the mood for some fried rice. Before driving off though Jessamine stopped, a strange feeling of being watched coming over her all of a sudden. She shivered. This was exactly the sort of thing that made her wish Corvo was around, though he usually was, in his full bodyguard capacity. It was what her father paid him for anyway. Her sense of unease didn’t lighten even after she popped the locks and drove off. 

Probably just a bad feeling, Jessamine reminded herself as she drove. She got those sometimes. They had started after her mother died. _After she was murdered. <\i> It had been a random attack, they had just wanted her purse. Even so, ever since it has given Jessamine a healthy dose of paranoia about being alone in public. Corvo was usually enough to keep her irrational fears at bay though, so she was generally content._


	23. Oswald, Sunday September 9th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Proposition: make a suggestion of sexual intercourse to (someone with whom one is not sexually involved) especially in an unsubtle or offensive way

“What color will her hair be?” The small girl asked what much have been the thousandth question. She had long since abandoned helping her father to come sit with him on the floor as he sketched. 

“I haven’t decided yet,” Oswald told her, as he fiddled with his pencil sharpener. Truth be told he hasn’t decided much about the scene other than the mermaid and the skull. Even the octopus was still undecided, despite its presence. 

He looked at Emily, who looked so much like her parents it could have killed him. Her mother’s face and her father’s eyes. “Does your mother like aquariums?” He asked her. 

Emily cocked her head to the side. “I guess.” She frowned. “Doesn’t everyone?”

He snorted, looking back down at the drawing. “You’d be surprised.” God knows he had seen enough crying children and wary adults when he had worked at one. “Well, at any rate, there’s gotta be something in the background and some fish were as good an option as anything,” he told her. 

The sound of footsteps signaled Corvo’s return. He didn’t turn to look. Emily watched intently over his shoulder as he heard something heavy hitting the floor. “The first box of books,” Corvo sighed, coming to stand next to them on the floor. “You ready to go?” He asked Emily. “Mom’s on her way home. She’s bringing dinner,” he added. 

“Lucky duck,” Oswald commented quietly to her, finally standing up and holding his notebook to Corvo. “Any thoughts?”

Corvo took it from him, examining the drawing briefly before shaking his head. “Looks good,” he said, looking back up at Oswald. “Wouldn’t change a thing.” He offered the notebook back to him. 

Oswald took it, looking away. He was probably blushing. _Damn._ “Well, I won't keep either of you any longer. Off you go, little one,” he said, looking back down at Emily. 

Corvo smiled, the expression softening his features wonderfully. He took her hand, helping her up. “Well, come on then, duck.” Looking back to Oswald he said, “I’ll see you later.” He smiled. 

It almost sounded like a proposition. Oswald resisted the urge to tell him so. (There was a ten year old in the room.) “Of course,” he told him, as anyone _would_ do if they were propositioned by Corvo Attano.


	24. Jessamine, Sunday September 9th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suggestion: noun; an idea or plan put forward for consideration

The Chinese food smelled wonderful. It was the sweetest torture on the way home, but now it was just making her anxious to get home and eat. But first, she had to go all the way upstairs to the new apartment to see Oswald. She had been on the fence even as she had ordered the food for him, but in the end she thought he would appreciate the gesture even if he didn’t want (or couldn’t have) the food. 

Opening the door to the apartment Jessamine didn’t know what she expected exactly but what she hadn’t expected was to find the artist asleep on the floor. She frowned, standing in the doorway still. It couldn’t have been comfortable. Besides his head, which rested against a folded hoodie, he was laying on cold hardwood. He didn’t look comfortable certainly, his arms folded tightly against his chest and his mouth set into a deep frown even in sleep. 

Edging over as quietly as possible she reached out to gently shake his shoulder. It took a second but his eyes popped open, clearly surprised. _But who wouldn’t be?_ She smiled nonetheless, trying to seem friendly at least. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Oswald nodded, sitting up now. “I, uh...was just closing my eyes for a bit.” He sounded groggy. 

Jessamine laughed lightly. “I don’t mind that you were sleeping here, Oswald.” She shrugged. “If anything I’d like to at least get you a pillow if you insist on it.” 

Oswald shook his head. “Thank you, but I do have a bed…I just don’t make it there a lot of the time,” he added after a moment. 

She hummed. _As long as you sleep sometime, sweetie._ “Well, I didn’t want to disturb you while you work, but I brought you some food.” Bringing out the bag with his food in it she told him, “I got you sweet and sour chicken from our favorite Chinese place. Plus, there’s rice and an eggroll.”

“Oh.” He looked at her, mouth slightly open in shock. “Thank you. That...wasn’t necessary, but thank you.”

She smiled, handing over the bag. “It’s no trouble.”

He set it down beside him. “Well, while I’ve got you here, might I make a suggestion?” She nodded. “I had a thought earlier…” Oswald trailed off. “That wall,” he nodded towards the wall the separated the kitchen and the den. “I know we talked about the big painting going there, but I wondered if it might be more...interesting if I painted directly on the wall.”

“Like a mural?” Jessamine looked at the wall, trying to imagine. He nodded. She blinked, her gaze moving between him and the wall. “Well, I don’t see why not. The painting can always go in the master bedroom.”

He smiled, a genuine one- it made his eyes light up. “I’m glad. I had an idea for it.”

Jessamine glanced down at the bag of food in her hand. Corvo and Emily could survive without her for a couple more minutes. “Tell me about it,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And my heart goes boom, boom, boom


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfort: noun; a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint

Returning to his own apartment he felt a strange. It felt off somehow now. Sleeping somewhere else always did that to him though. He probably shouldn’t have done that actually. But he had been so tired and it had been so quiet. Oswald sighed at the thought. It was too comfortable over there, even laying on nothing but the floor. Especially when Jessamine brought him food and let him rant about painting whales on her wall for far too long. 

Shaking his head he continued on inside, dropping his backpack and putting his keys in their designated bowl on the counter. Leafing through his mail he found only bills. He threw them on the counter next to his key bowl before moving into the living room. He had only stopped to take a shower and new clothes before going on in to work, despite this he flopped down onto his old couch and closed his eyes. _Maybe I won’t have anyone come in today. Maybe I can just sleep._ His phone rang. 

Lying to yourself never did work. Oswald groaned, not even looking at the caller ID before answering. “Hello?”

“Are you coming to work today, edgelord?” Jasper asked without even saying hello. 

He sighed. “Yeah. Why?” He didn’t have an actual appointment for at least forty-five minutes. That much he knew. He had made sure before deciding to stop by his apartment. 

She hummed lightly. “There’s a couple here who wanted to talk to you about drawing something up for their couple tattoo. They’re being very insistent.” 

Oswald rolled his eyes. They must have been standing there with her. ‘They’re being very insistent,’ translated directly into ‘They’re being assholes.”

“Couple tattoos are stupid,” he told her. “It’s like tempting fate. They’ll just be back in six months asking for cover ups.” It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. Couples tattoos were almost as bad as names. About eighty percent of the time they ended in regret. 

Jasper chuckled lightly, sounding, at least, a little less annoyed. “What do you want me to tell them?”

“Tell them…” Oswald sighed, eyes flickering to the bills he had thrown on the counter. He did need the money. “Tell them that I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Safety: noun; the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury

While Oswald was working on the couple, Jasper took the opportunity to go to the back room and practice. At least, that was the plan. Before Jasper could decide on which song she was going to be dancing to, her ringtone went off. From Mica. At this time of day, it was… concerning. She picked up the phone, but didn’t say anything. She hoped Mica had sense enough to not save her number under ‘Jasper,’ but…

“Jasper,” Mica whispered. “Jasper, are you there?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” she answered. Mica was never quiet. She sighed, a sense of heaviness settling on her chest. 

“We, uh, I— had to talk. To you. I— how did you keep mother and father off your case so much? About… Waverly?” he asked quietly.

She frowned. “Lots of hiding and lying. Why? Did… something happen? They didn’t figure it out, did they?” If her parents figured out Mica was gay… well… Their reaction was bad enough when they found out about Jasper’s girlfriend when she was seventeen. Granted, Waverly was a terrible human being, but they were only upset because she was a girl. 

“No, no, it’s— that’s fine, I, uh, just… On the golf team, there’s, you know, someone, and he’s…” Mica paused. “Jasper, when did you know?”

Even though Mica couldn’t see her, she shrugged anyway. “I don’t know. A while. Long before Donald Fontaine threw me out, that’s for sure.” She paused. “Long enough to be sure that Waverly wasn’t an experiment, at any rate. Ah, look, Mica, it’s… not safe. Whatever you’re thinking about this guy, it’s not safe.” Even as she spoke, she hated herself for it. _Stay in the closet,_ she’d just said. _Because it’s safer there._ It wasn’t a nice thing to hear- it was an awful thing to have to say. Especially to her little brother.

She heard him sniffle. “Yeah, I know,” he said, quiet, defeated. “I just. Wanted to know, I guess.”

Jasper dug her nails into her palm even as she felt her blood start to boil. How dare their father cause this? “Mica, it’ll be okay. In four years, you can leave and stay with me,” she heard herself say in a tone more hopeful than she felt. Four years was a long damn time to hide. She told herself he wouldn’t need four years, she’d figure something out, but...

“Okay.” The quiet acceptance of his fate in his voice was painful.

The line was quiet for a while, aside from the tell-tale sounds of sniffling from Mica’s end of the line. It broke her heart. “I— I gotta go, Jas. I’ll talk to you later,” he said. “‘Bye.” He didn’t even wait for her to reply. Either someone had found wherever he had hidden, or he was about to burst into tears. Jasper despised both options.

Jasper left the back room, unable to focus now. Oswald looked up at her. “I thought you were practicing?” All he got in return was a scowl. “Granny talk to you or something?” he teased easily. 

She debated for a moment about telling him the whole story, but decided better of it. “No. Mica. Donald is a dick, as per fuckin’ usual,” Jasper hissed, moving past him and settling back down at her desk and opening her laptop.

Oswald nodded in agreement. “That’s true.” A pause. “Well, whatever happened this time, I feel like I should remind you that murder is illegal.”

“Only if you’re caught,” Jasper grunted, already opening up an internet browser. Mica couldn’t stay there, not for four more years. She wouldn’t allow it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You tell me hold your head up, Hold your head up and be strong, 'Cause when you fall, you gotta get up, You gotta get up and move on, Tell me, how the hell could you talk, How could you talk? 


	27. Corvo, Tuesday September 11th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep: verb; rest by sleeping, be asleep

Oswald had paint on his face. He was asleep on the floor and he had paint on his face. It would have been funny if it weren’t so damn adorable. Corvo sighed setting down the box of books as gently as possible by the other boxes of books on the floor where they planned to put the bookcase. He’d tell Jessamine they couldn’t bring the couch up today though. _We’ll do it tomorrow. Maybe. God it was taking forever to move into this damn place._

Corvo stopped again to look at Oswald still asleep on the floor. He sighed again, even as he made his way past him and his wall painting as quietly as possible. _It has to be cold down there._ He pulled out one of fluffier blankets he and Emily had brought up the other day from the linen closet. 

Tiptoeing back to the den he gently draped it over Oswald. Corvo couldn’t do anything about the floor being cold but he could at least have a blanket to keep him warm. Looking up he saw the painting was already coming along. Jessamine has told him all about Oswald’s plan for it over dinner the other night. The background right now was just a dark and blobby blue square on the wall. A single whale was the only thing to disturb the blue. 

He smiled down at Oswald, unable to help but admire him again. Jessamine was right- _Oswald is cute._ Shaking his head at himself he turned to go. He got the feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he found the man asleep on his floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I’m in love again


	28. Oswald, Wednesday September 12th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family: noun; a group of people related to one another by blood or marriage

Oswald woke with a blanket thrown over him. The gesture was so sweet it made his heart hurt. _Metaphorically._ If his heart was actually hurting something was almost definitely wrong with his pacemaker. He pressed a hand to his chest subconsciously making sure his heart was still beating- an old habit. 

Laying on the floor for a few minutes longer he clutched his blanket and his chest, eventually dragging himself up. Stretching, he thought once again about how he had to stop doing this. _Bad habits on top of bad habits._ He shook his head. At least he got some work done while he was was here. 

He smiled slightly at the whale he had painted on the wall last night. It was quite similar to the one on his back actually, but more symbolic he supposed. He was going to do three of them total. Each representing a person- one for Jessamine, one for Corvo, one for Emily. A family of whales. Well, it was a pod actually, but the point remained. 

His ringing phone disrupted his thoughts as he stared at his work in progress. It was Billie. “Hello?”

“Heyyy,” Billie drawled out in a way that Oswald knew meant she was going to cancel their appointment. “I’m not gonna be able to make our thing later.” _Knew it._

“I mean...alright,” he shrugged, still looking at the wall. “You want to reschedule?”

“Not right now,” she said. “Gonna be pretty busy for a while.”

“Daud?” He asked, only partially curious. 

“Yup,” she sighed. “Plus I got some stuff with Jessamine and Corvo and I’m going to be super busy for a while.”

“Alright,” he nodded. “Let me know when you wanna come back in. I’ll always make room for you, ya know?” He smiled. It was true. He always had time for Billie. She was his best friend- how could he not really? 

She laughed. “Don’t get corny on me, Outsider.”

“I won’t. I won’t,” he promised. 

“Love ya, kid,” Billie chuckled. 

“Love ya.” Oswald smiled gently, looking back up at the whales on the wall. “Bye, Billie.”

“Bye, Oswald.”


	29. Oswald, Thursday September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weak: adjective; liable to break or give way under pressure

The elevator doors dinged open, revealing several familiar faces. Emily beamed up at him. “Oswald!” 

Jessamine put a hand on top of her head, as if to quiet her. “Hello, Oswald.” Corvo just nodded to him as they got into the elevator with him.

The space became a little more cramped with four people now in it, Oswald took his own corner, trying not to crowd the others. None of them seemed to mind though, turning towards him even. “It’s a bit early for painting,” Corvo said. 

Oswald just shrugged. It was never too early or late for art. In reality though, he had just fallen asleep on the floor again. Being able to sleep for once was nice. 

“How's it been going?” Jessamine asked politely. “I haven’t been up in a day or two.” 

He resisted the urge to ask if she had been the one to throw the blanket over him or if that had been Corvo. Instead Oswald just nodded. “Good,” he told her. “I’m still working on the last whale but I’ve still got to do the background and some finer details.” There was a little more to it than that actually, but it was easier to say than he had fucked up the third whale last night and was going to have to spend most of his time tomorrow trying to fix it. 

“Are you coming back tonight to work on anything?” She asked. 

He nodded. “Probably. I want to go ahead and get the whales done so I can start working on some of the others.”

Jessamine smiled. “Well, why don’t you join us for dinner tonight? If you have time.” He hesitated. She touched his arm gently. “Come on, Corvo always cooks too much.”

Emily giggled and Corvo rolled his eyes. “I’m not that bad,” he said. “You two just don’t eat.” 

The elevator signed open again and they all stepped out into the lobby. Jessamine continued as they went, “Well, she’s ten and I’m a picky eater, so…” 

Corvo just sighed, taking Emily’s hand and looking over Oswald. “Please, come so at least someone eats.” It was a very tempting offer. _Oh, why did they have to be so nice?_

“We eat around six,” Jessamine told him, wiggling her eyebrows at him. “You don’t have an aversion to steak do you?”

Oswald got the feeling he was going to eat dinner with them whether he wanted to or not. He sighed. “No.” 

Jessamine grinned, stopping as they came to the front door of the building. “You’ll join us then?” 

Oswald nodded. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

Opening the door for everyone, Jessamine just laughed lightly. “Just yourself, sweetie, and we’ll be all set.”

He probably blushed as he went through the door, but Jessamine just smiled at him. Mumbling a short goodbye to the lot of them Oswald took a path from them quickly, making a beeline for his motorcycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But I give in so easily, And "no thank you" is how it should've gone, I should stay strong, But I'm weak, and what's wrong with that?


	30. Corvo, Thursday September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange: adjective; unusual or surprising in a way that is unsettling or hard to understand

Standing at the stove watching over his steaks, Corvo pondered whether Oswald would actually come. He said he would, but had still seemed very unsure. Was that his fault? Did he remember and feel awkward about it? He certainly had seemed to remember when he has asked Corvo if he liked him. 

Slowly, he felt Jessamine’s slender arms wrap around his waist from behind. “Don’t try and get on my good side now,” he said, even as she leaned her face into the space between his shoulder blades. 

“Whatever do you mean?” Jessamine mumbled, hugging him tighter. 

“You know.”

“I thought you liked Oswald.”

He sighed, flipping one steak over. “I do.” _Probably too much._ “And so do you and that might come off a bit strange.” 

She propped her chin up on his shoulder. “I didn’t proposition him, Corvo- I invited him to dinner.”

“You _want_ to proposition him,” he laughed. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Well so do you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You’re subtle, but I know you.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure we can both proposition him.”

“I don’t see why not.”

“You’re terrible.”

“I don’t mean like _that_ ,” she smacked him lightly in the ribs. A pause. “Okay, maybe like that if he’s into it.”

Corvo laughed gently, patting her hands still around his middle. “I think dinner is the best place to start.”

Jessamine nodded her agreement, smiling gently. “It’s raining,” Jessamine said idly, pointing out towards the window. “How nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love don't come easy, I know that it don't


	31. Oswald, Thursday September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shock: 1, noun; a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience 2, a violent shaking movement caused by an impact, explosion, or tremor

The rain wasn’t an issue; he had driven in it plenty before and his bike had good tires. What was an issue was assholes turning their goddamn cars into him cause they didn’t stop at red lights. 

It all happened in less than a second. The car hitting his bike in just the right way to send him flying. As Oswald went tumbling across the asphalt he couldn’t help but feel a little grateful of the fact. Somehow- it seemed like the better of option in this situation. Or at least he felt like he’d rather fly a few feet than get crushed. 

“Mothefucker,” Oswald voiced the only thought that was coming to mind. He groaned throwing his helmet off, sending it skidding across the intersection. Feeling like death, he let his head fall back against the pavement vaguely wondering if someone might be gracious enough to finish the job and run him over. 

Mentally he went over everything. His bike was wrecked that was for damn sure. He didn’t even need to look back to know that. He saw the frame bend when he got hit. As for him. Well, nothing hurt. Yet. Adrenaline and shock were fun but he knew that would never last. With the way he fell he knew he probably broke his arm, but other than that he couldn’t tell.

“Motherfucking asshole,” he swore again, finally rolling over and pushing himself up with the arm he hadn’t fallen on. “Blind asshole,” he corrected himself. “Blind asshole who can’t drive.”

He reached into his pocket and found his phone with a broken screen. “Lovely,” he muttered, swiping it open anyway. Looking back at the car that hit him he saw the man still hadn’t manage to even get out of his car. He was just sitting there. Maybe in shock. It didn’t matter. He went and leaned against the car, calling 911. 

“911, what’s your emergency.”

“Hi. I was just in a wreck.”

“What’s your location?”

He sighed, squinting through the rain at the street signs. “Intersection of Mayfield and West Avenue.”

“Are you or anyone else injured?”

“I probably have a broken arm. Dunno about the other guy.”

“Okay. An ambulance and a police car are on their way, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“Would you like me to stay on the line with you until they get there?”

“No.” He ended the call. 

Leaning over, he knocked on the driver’s window. The driver, a middle aged, balding, white man, looked over at him nervously. “I called 911,” Oswald told him. The man only nodded. He sighed. He was too tired for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hold my head up just enough to see the sky, And when we go we won't go slow we'll put up such a fight, When they fade into the dust and into ash, But all children know this pain will surely pass


	32. Jasper, Thursday, September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Advice: noun; guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative

Her laptop whirred tirelessly, her scrolling becoming more and more endless the longer she researched. Scrubbing at her eyes Jasper finally shut the thing in frustration, pushing it to the end of the bed. _I’ll do more tomorrow. Maybe._ Falling back, she shut her eyes and sighed. She was getting a headache. 

She had almost nodded off when her phone buzzed. Grabbing it off the nightstand, she answered, not opening her eyes. “What do you want?” She asked, having seen it was Oswald.

“I’m not coming to work tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Jasper opened her eyes, sitting up so she could talk. The mess of her apartment was all that stared back. _I need to clean._ She ignored the thought, she had more important worries right now. 

“Yeah. Sprained my wrist and got some lovely bruises as well, of course.”

Jasper frowned. “Something happen?” Somehow the thought of him getting mugged was the first thing that came to mind. 

Oswald hummed. “Me and my motorcycle became quite acquainted with a car this afternoon.” He sighed. “I’m still at the hospital but listen, I won’t be out long. Couple days probably. Think you can manage without me?”

“Well, yeah.” Jasper rolled her eyes. It wasn’t as if they both needed to be at the shop to do their jobs. They were pretty independent. “You need like a ride or something?” She asked. 

“No, I already called someone.” A pause. “But you know…thanks for the offer.”

Jasper snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she said. “I wasn’t actually gonna come.” The poster of Julia Roberts (in her role from Pretty Woman) on the wall across from her bed seemed to call her out on this lie as she smiled brilliantly over at Jasper. She looked away, instead choosing to turn her gaze to the floor. 

“You’re such a good friend, you know that?.”

“And now you think we’re friends,” Jasper laughed. 

Oswald laughed. “I’m gonna go. Call my clients tomorrow. Tell them to reschedule.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “But I’m calling us even after this.” This was the one favor he earned from bailing her out of jail the other night. 

“Sure.” She could practically imagine him rolling his eyes at her. “Bye, Jasper.”

“Wait,” she said, a thought occurring to her. “Oswald.” 

“What?”

“Weren’t you like...adopted or something?”

There was a long pause. Then he answered, “I had different foster parents, but no.”

“Oh.” _That was actually pretty sad. Damn._

Oswald half laughed. “Did you need something or were you just picking at some of my old scabs?”

“I wanted to know if you knew anything about like...guardianship.” _Don’t ask why, I might actually tell you._

Oswald hummed. “Not really, but you might be able to ask Billie sometime. She knows more about it than I do. Daud used to foster kids,” he explained. 

Jasper hummed. “Okay. Thanks.” She hung up on him. _For such an annoying little dude, he sure was easy to talk to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to know that things are gonna look up 'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup


	33. Corvo, Thursday, September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romance: noun; a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love

Oswald was sitting in the waiting room, a motorcycle helmet in his lap on top of a leather jacket and his head leaned back against the wall. A large purple bruise spread from his collar down and his arm was in a sling. Simply put he looked rough. He just sighed when Corvo stepped forward. “You alright?” Corvo asked. He had asked before, when he had called them, but he felt like he needed ask again. Just to make sure. 

“Yeah,” he hummed. “Didn’t even need stitches.” He stood up and for the first time Corvo realized he was soaked to the bone as well. Which, did make sense. It was still raining actually, but the fact seemed to make things all the more tragic. 

“Let me carry this,” he told him, taking the helmet from him. Oswald complied easily enough, but kept his jacket, holding it to his chest with his uninjured arm. “I didn’t know you had a motorcycle,” Corvo said conversationally as they slowly made their way out of the ER. “Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.” He bumped his shoulder with his gently as they walked. 

Oswald snorted. “Yeah, well, look where that got me, I guess.”

Corvo was just about to reply when a shrill voice came down the hall. “Oswald!” 

Stopping in his tracks and Oswald sighed deeply. “Dr. Hypatia.” He turned around. Doing the same, Corvo saw a short woman in a white coat walking briskly (it wasn’t a run but she certainly wasn’t calm) towards them. She gasped when she got got close enough to see Oswald, immediately grabbing his face in both her hands. “I heard from one of the nurses you were in the ER. What happened? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I was just in an accident.”

“Oswald.” She shook her head. It sounded like a scolding. Letting go of him she said, “Kids, they never call. They never visit. And when they do they don’t even tell you they’re in your own ER.” Finally she looked at Corvo. “And who are you? Are you his new boyfriend?” She squinted at him, clearly taking a quick assessment of him. “You could do worse.”

Oswald, who had started doing a lot of sighing, just shook his head. “Corvo,” he said. “This is my old pediatrician, Dr. Hypatia. If you didn’t notice, she is a menace and won’t let me be injured without complaining as though I am still her patient. Dr. Hypatia, this is my _friend_ , Corvo. He’s driving me home.”

Corvo chuckled. “Okay then. Well, pleased to meet you, Dr. Hypatia.” He held out a hand. 

She shook it. “Don’t let him fool you. He’s practically my child. This one was my patient since he was born- I watched him grow up.”

Oswald rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah. You’ve held my heart your hands, you’ve saved my life countless times, yada yada yada. No offense, but can we tell cool medical stories about my dysfunctional heart some other time, cause they gave me some pain killers and I just wanna lay down.” He tugged at the edge of Corvo’s sleeve. It was a bit endearing really and Corvo had very little willpower when it came to the endearing. 

He looked at Dr. Hypatia. “Perhaps another time?” He smiled. 

She smiled at Oswald. “Yes, another time.” Winking at him she added, “Like I said though, you could do worse.”

Oswald waved her away, annoyed. “Goodbye, Dr. Hypatia.” He hooked his good arm with Corvo’s, already pulling on him. 

“Bye,” Corvo told her as he was dragged away. When they reached the parking lot Corvo was glad to see that it had stopped raining. He looked at Oswald as they walked. “So, what was that about a dysfunctional heart?”

“I’m a hopeless romantic, that’s dysfunctional, right?” 

“Well, maybe not so hopeless.” Corvo looked pointedly at their linked arms. 

Oswald rolled his eyes at him, but didn’t move his arm, instead leaning against him a bit more. “I have a congenital heart defect. Don’t worry about it though. I’ve got a pacemaker and everything.” He smiled humorlessly, tapping his chest with his good hand. “I’m covered.”

“Except for romance, of course.” Corvo smiled. 

“Except for romance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on and take a breath, I'll be here every step, Walking between the raindrops with you


	34. Corvo, Thursday, September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sway: verb; control or influence (a person or course of action)

“This isn’t home,” Oswald said tiredly when Corvo pulled into his parking spot. He hasn’t been particularly talkative on the short ride over, choosing instead to lean his seat back and doze. Before he had gotten in he had worried aloud about getting Corvo’s seats wet but apparently the worry had worn off quickly. 

Corvo hummed, taking his seatbelt off. “Well, I can take you there if you want, but I thought you might want some company tonight.” Which was true. He personally didn’t like being sick alone. Or in Oswald’s case, injured, he supposed. No matter the case, it was better when there were people with you. 

Oswald looked over at him, a small smirk on his face. “I sprained my wrist, Corvo, I didn’t lose a hand.” He chuckled, still sounding a bit buzzed from the pain meds. “My friend Billie lost a hand. She didn’t have company. ‘Cept for me I guess, but how good could that have been?” He quirked an eyebrow up. “I was knocking on death’s door myself at the time.”

Corvo frowned. _He had said he had a pacemaker, but exactly how sick had he been?_ “Well, I still think you should come eat with us. I’ll take you home afterwards if you want.”

The other man just sighed, not really seeming swayed one way or the other. “Why should I?” He didn’t look at Corvo this time, just staring up at the roof of the car, one hand folded protectively over his hurt wrist. 

Gently, Corvo reached over and took that hand. “Well, I did cook and I imagine you’re probably hungry.” He squeezed his hand. “Plus, there’s probably some dry clothes around somewhere you could borrow.”

Pulling Corvo’s hand over to his chest Oswald purses his lips in consideration. “You drive a hard bargain,” he said finally looking at Corvo. He smiled, bring Corvo’s hands up to his lips. Letting go off his hand, Oswald moved his seat back up, and hopped out of the car, leaving Corvo in only a mild shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me be your everlasting light, The sun when there is none, I'm a shepherd for you, And I will guide you through, Let me be your everlasting light


	35. Oswald, Thursday, September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exhausted: adjective; drained of one’s physical or mental resources, very tired

“I won’t let you sleep on the floor,” Jessamine told him insistently, throwing yet another blanket across the couch. She had, over dinner, finally convinced him to say. _It had felt more like coercion._ Nonetheless, he had felt, admittedly, more at ease after eating. Which- how dare Corvo cook so well. 

Oswald just stood, the pillow she had given him in his good hand. She had refused to let him help, though really, he wasn’t terribly sure what he would have been able to do had she let him. “You know,” he said, “I don’t sleep on your floor ‘cause I like it. It’s just that that’s where I fall asleep.”

She chuckled, turning to take the pillow from him and put it on the end of the couch. “Well, you can fall asleep somewhere more comfortable tonight.” She gestured to the couch showily. 

“I appreciate it,” he told her honestly. It really wasn’t a bad place to sleep as far as couches went. It was soft leather and Jessamine had given him at least three blankets (he had insisted no sheets were necessary) and a couple of rather nice pillows actually. It probably was more comfortable than his own bed. 

“It’s no trouble,” Jessamine told him for what must have been the thousandth time. She laid a light hand on his arm. “I promise.” Waving a hand she continued. “I’m just sorry we don’t have a guest room for you.”

He just nodded awkwardly. His ‘thank yous’ were really just falling on deaf ears at this point. 

“Well, we do actually,” Corvo said, finally returning with a small bundle of clothes that he had gone to retrieve for him. “It’s just upstairs and unfurnished.” He passed the clothes to Oswald. 

Jessamine snorted delicately. “Those don’t count, you know.”

“I know,” he said, leaning around to kiss her on the cheek. “But they’re still there.”

Rolling her eyes, Jessamine addressed Oswald instead now. “Come on, I’ll show you the bathroom and you can change your clothes and shower or whatever you need to do.” She crooked a finger at him, gesturing for her to follow her as she made her way down the same hall Corvo had reappeared from moment ago. 

“Emily’s room,” Jessamine told him quietly, her voice almost a whisper when they passed a door on the left. “And the master bedroom,” when came a door on the right. “And this is the bathroom,” she said opening the door at the end of the shirt hall. Walking in she continued, “Towels are on the edge of the sink and the soap is all in the shower of course.” 

Nodding, he let her talk, he was mostly just taking a look around now. It was a nice bathroom. Everything grey tile, white porcelain, and chrome. There was also an unfortunately large mirror over the sink. He looked like someone tried run over a cat before drowning them. He turned his back to it. “Sadly, I don’t think we have a spare toothbrush,” Jessamine told him, looking apologetic. 

He waved her away. “It’s fine.” _God knows I’ve woken up without a toothbrush on hand before._

“Alright, well, if you need anything else, just let me know.” He let her go, the door shutting softly behind her. 

Shaking off his jacket and struggling to get out of his shirt he stopped only to sigh at himself, looking at his back in the mirror. The inked in whale floated along against his terribly pale skin felt sad today. It always seemed to change. Sometimes it’s expression seemed only pensive and thoughtful, but others it was sad and nostalgic. Today was a sad day apparently. _Figures._

On the other hand the octopus on his shoulder remained as it always did, curious but cautious as its tentacles stretched out to curl around some of the many roses and small sea life that occupied his arm. His other arm showed a similar scene, minus the octopus. 

He shucked off his pants next, revealing both the jellyfish tattooed on his thigh and the bruises blossoming on the leg that helped catch most of his fall earlier. Stopping again he sighed. He had been doing a lot of that this evening. This time it was because he really didn’t know what he was doing anymore. He shook his head at himself. _Things were just weird sometimes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [“Adult life is already so goddamn weird” ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezpYym_3zUc)


	36. Corvo Friday September 14th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Compelling: adjective; evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way

Jessamine automatically reached out to him when he moved to get out of bed. _She was such a light sleeper._ Corvo reached out in turn, rubbing the back of her hand with thumb. “It’s fine. I’m just getting up for a bit.”

She hummed, laying her head back down. She was used to his pacing at night, she knew he’d return eventually. Continuing on, he found his shirt on the floor in the dark and got up. Out of habit he paused by Emily’s door, to make sure she was sleeping too. She used to sleep like him, waking up a dozen times throughout the night, now she slept like her mother. And thank God for that. 

When he walked into the living room he was surprised to find Oswald Black not only shirtless (and wearing a pair of Jessamine’s sweatpants), but rifling through their bookshelf, only the dim lamp on the nearby desk lighting the room. 

He looked sheepish when he saw Corvo, putting the book that had been in his hands back where it had been. “We have more books upstairs,” Corvo said quietly, saying the only thing that had come to mind. _The only thing appropriate anyway._ The other that that had come to mind was, ‘I didn’t know you had so many beautiful tattoos.’ To cut off his own staring at them, he came closer, plucking a book off the shelf himself. 

Oswald laughed lightly. “I know. I’ve looked through those too. You two have some...interesting tastes.”

_If that ain’t the truth…_ Corvo shrugged though. “Is what it is.” 

Oswald nodded. “I didn’t say I didn’t like. There’s just something a bit strange at first glance when you see, ‘The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers’ and ‘Jane Eyre’ side by side on a bookshelf.”

“You’d never guess which one of those belongs to me,” he said. In his hands was a ‘The Shining’, one of his own. He put it back on the shelf, leaning his elbow over on the wall. He hasn’t realized how tired he was. 

“Surely not Jane Eyre,” Oswald said. Corvo just smiled. “Wouldn’t have pegged you with a classic,” he scoffed. 

“It was my mother’s. She gave it to me,” Corvo said, staring rather openingly now at the artwork on the other man’s arms. _Was that an octopus?_

Oswald chuckled.“You can ask, you know.”

“Ask what?” He pulled his eyes back up to meet his. 

“All the stereotypical questions people ask people with tattoos.” He yawned. “Did it hurt? What does it mean? How long have you had them?” 

“Do people really ask you that?” Corvo asked, tiredly- softly. He nodded. “Well?”

“Not terribly so, but it does hurt. None of them have meanings, I just like them. And the sleeves I’ve had for two years, the whale for four, and the jellyfish on my thigh for one.”

“I don’t know whether to ask about the jellyfish or ask where the whale is.”

“It’s on my back.” Oswald turned to give him a better view. 

It definitely was a whale. Seemingly a very peaceful one as it drifted through the void of space around it. Corvo reached out to touch it automatically, his fingertips only lightly grazing Oswald’s cool skin before pulling back immediately. “Sorry,” he whispered. 

Oswald shook his head. “It’s fine.” He turned back around. “I think I’m going to head to my couch bed though, if you don’t mind.” He yawned again. “Goodnight, Corvo.”

He nodded. “Goodnight, Oswald.” Corvo left him then, returning to his own bed. Jessamine hummed contently when he crawled back under the covers with her, her hands softly curling over his when he wrapped an arm around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is power in the blood , And it ain’t no hocus pocus, Houdini kind of mojo, no, no , It’s a rearrange your heart’s DNA kind of love 


	37. Jessamine, Friday September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domestic: adjective; relating to the running of a home or to family relations

Jessamine was disappointed to find that when she woke up that Oswald was gone. She frowned at Corvo when he kissed her good morning. “Did you take Oswald home or did he walk?” She knew he had been up for a while now.

He shook his head. “He had already left when I got up.” Jessamine’s frown deepened. Corvo put a hand on her face, lightly cupping her cheek. “He’s fine, Jess.”

She pouted. “Yeah, I know, but still- what kind of host am I? He didn’t even get any breakfast.” _And she hadn’t even been able to tell him goodbye._

“You don’t cook breakfast, honey,” Corvo reminded her, dropping his hand. 

“I could have,” she protested, finally moving to sit down next to her daughter on the couch. Which had already been cleared of last nights bedding arrangements apparently- all the blankets folded and set in the armchair next to them. Corvo’s work or Oswald’s? 

Emily offered her half full plate to her wordlessly. “Done?” Jessamine asked. She nodded, so Jessamine took it. As was their usual routine. Corvo cooked and served too much so they split their plates of food with each other. “You forgot to salt the eggs,” she called to Corvo, who had moved back into the kitchen behind them. 

“Did not,” he called back. 

She just hummed at Emily, both of them watching tv now. “Is this the one with that snow queen?” Jessamine asked. They had watched it countless times probably, but the details always seemed to slip her mind. The snowman on screen was singing on the beach, she didn’t remember that. 

Her daughter hummed, a bit engrossed in the cartoon now. “Elsa,” Emily told her. 

“Ah.” She nodded. Elsa. She’s have to remember that. 

“Are you gonna walk with me and dad to school?” Emily asked, reaching down to pull on her shoes. 

Jessamine smiled. “I will. Let me put some real clothes on real quick though.” She kissed the top of bed head as she got up to take their plate to the kitchen. Walking with them was often the highlight of her day, she tried not to miss it whenever possible.


	38. Oswald, Friday September 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunate: adjective; having or marked by bad fortune, unlucky

It was too early. Far, far too early and he was too tired to be walking home, but he had already overstayed his welcome. Oswald knew when it was time to leave. Unfortunately, he had had to leave in Jessamine’s pants and Corvo’s shirt. He hadn’t been able to find his. _Oh well. I’ll return their clothes later...Maybe_

Stopping outside his apartment to grab his mail, Oswald could hear his neighbors were unfortunately home. Something that sounded like a boot thudded against the wall, followed directly by a woman yelling. Shaking his head he continued inside with his mail. They’d continue like that for the rest of the day at least. Guess he wouldn’t be going back to sleep like he wanted. 

Opening his mail as he walked to the kitchen he saw his rent was due as well as the rent and utility bills for the shop. The only other thing was a coupon for Jo-Anne’s. _Joy._ He threw it all on the counter, not wanting to look at any of it today.


	39. Jasper Saturday September 14th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spiral: verb; show a continuous and dramatic increase

“So...what do you guys think?” Jasper took another nervous sip of coffee. She had finally been able to meet with her siblings and explain what she wanted to do. 

“About living with you or you trying to convince mom and dad to let us?” Mica asked. He hadn’t said anything up until now, only staring at her dumbfounded. 

“You let me worry about them,” Jasper said. “Do you guys think you’d be happier living with me? It’s your choice. I won’t make you, but I...remember how shitty they are.” She sighed. God, did she remember. 

Jade was the first one to speak. She slammed her palms down on the table. “Yes! Of course! Mother is exhausting!”

Jasper glared down the people that had looked over at Jade’s outburst. “Yeah. I know,” Jasper said, looking back to her sister. 

Looking away, Mica scrunched up his nose. “They _are_ exhausting,” he said. “Between perfect grades and all the extracurriculars…”

“They only cut that back when Mica passed out at golf practice a month ago,” Jade told her. “We had to take him to the ER.”

“I was tired!”

Jasper hummed and sipped at her coffee again. “No, I hear you. They had me on that same kind of regimen, too.” She shrugged. “But then I started blowing it off, so…” Sure, that had earned her some punishment, but she wasn’t resisting the urge to off herself between gymnastics and algebra tutoring. 

Mica laughed, brightening up for the first time since she had started telling them about her plan. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “But that was the start of my ‘woeful down spiral’.” Jasper tossed the back of her hand to her forehead and gaining the pained expression of their mother as she spoke. Both her siblings laughed, the sound quite cheerful compared to their conversation. 

Mica sighed again after a moment. “Jaz, I want this to work...but I don’t think you’ll ever convince them to let you be our guardian, ya know?” He looked over at Jade, who sat beside him. “We love you, but they…”

“Don’t,” Jasper filled in for him. She nodded. She already knew as much. “I know, but say I can convince them of this?” She looked at them expectantly. “You guys are in?”

“I’m in one hundred percent,” Jade told her immediately. 

Mica sighed. “I’m in...just don’t get yourself hurt over this, Jaz. Okay?”

She smiled. “Okay.” It’s not like they could really hurt her anymore. She just worried about them hurting Mica and Jade. Maybe not in the usual sense, but damn if she didn’t know how it felt to get punished for being who you are in that household.


	40. Oswald, Saturday September 15th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deserve: verb; do something or have or show qualities worthy of (reward or punishment)

_Where has my phone gone?_ He patted the bed frantically, still trying to locate it even when as stopped ringing. Finally grabbing hold of it he saw it was Jessamine. Frowning, he called her back. “Hello?” 

“Oh, hi!” He could tell, even though it was a phone call, that she was smiling. “I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you up or anything.” _Woke me up? What time was it?_ He looked at his alarm clock. Hell, he had slept twelve hours. 

“No,” he finally said. “No. It’s fine. Is there...a problem?” For a moment he couldn’t help but worry he had done something terribly wrong the other night when he slept on their couch. 

“Not at all,” she said. “I just wanted to check in and see that you were alright. How are you feeling?”

_Like I got hit by a car._ “Better,” he told her instead. “My wrist hurts, but then why wouldn’t it?” He hadn’t used the sling since he took it off when he stayed with them. Which, he probably should have been using, but it was too annoying. 

“Yeah,” Jessamine agreed sympathetically. “I imagine it’ll be sore for a while.” She sighed. “Well, if you need anything I’m just a phone call away. Or Corvo is, if you prefer,” she gave a short laugh, sounding a bit awkward. “Either way, we’re happy to help, you know.”

“I…” Oswald trailed off, not knowing what to say. _Why are they so nice to me?_ It was getting ridiculous almost. “Thank you,” he finally said. “I, um, appreciate it, but that’s not necessary.” Not only was he not used to help, but he had learned to survive without it. All their kindness was nice, but he didn’t really know how to accept it. 

There was a long pause. “What’s that?” She sounded genuinely confused now. 

“Your...um, kindness?” He picked nervously at the fuzz on the pillow sitting in his lap. _How do you tell people they’re being too nice to you?_ “You’re both so nice, but truly, all that you’ve done is…”

Jessamine made a small sound he couldn’t identify the meaning of- maybe disapproval? “Nonsense,” she told him, sounding very firm and sure of herself. “Everyone deserves kindness and beyond that I like to think we are at least acquaintances, if not friends.” She scoffed. “We like you, Oswald. We don’t want you to struggle for no reason.”

Oswald sighed. “You don’t lose arguments, do you, Jessamine?”

When she spoke next he could sense the smile in her voice. “There is a reason my dad wants me to run his business.”


	41. Oswald, Monday September 17th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tempt: verb; entice or attempt to entice (someone) to do or acquire something that they find attractive but know to be wrong or not beneficial

As it turned out, walking was somehow more tedious when you didn’t have any other option than when you just wanted to. Despite this, he made it to Jessamine and Corvo’s apartment building fairly quickly (for walking anyway). Oswald wasn’t entirely sure _why_ he had chosen to come there, but he had known when he got up today that he had to go _somewhere_. He had tried to call Billie first actually, but seeing as how she wouldn’t pick up, he supposed she was too busy to pal around with him for the day. So, the apartment it was. 

Using the key Jessamine had given him to get in, he saw they had finally moved some of their furniture up. The couch he had slept on the other night sat in the den, pressed against the opposite wall that he was painting on- away from the art supplies he had left scattered about as well. Apart from that, he saw the coffee table was there and so was the bookshelf (now fully stocked with books). Peeking into the kitchen he noticed a waffle iron, a wok, and other various nonessential cookware sitting on the counter- they were really starting to get moved in. 

Oswald hummed quietly to himself, going back into the den to look at what he had been painting. There were still so many things he had to do before it was perfect. He touched it experimentally, trailing a finger over the back of a whale. Idly, he wondered if there was something he could put over it to make sure it didn’t chip. He’d have to check into that later. 

“Oh,” he heard suddenly. His head whipped around to where the sound has come from. Jessamine was standing in the doorway. She smiled pleasantly at him, a box in her arms. She looked tired, and most certainly was wearing some of Corvo’s old clothes- a large t-shirt and sweatpants rolled up to her knees, still she looked every bit as beautiful as she did dressed up. “I didn’t think you’d be here for a while,” she said, continuing into the den and towards the kitchen with her box. 

He shrugged, following her to the kitchen. “I just thought I’d stop by.”

Going around the kitchen counter she began unpacking the box, setting more kitchen wares around. It appeared she knew where nothing went. This, he knew, could probably be chalked up to her not being as in touch with the kitchen as Corvo was. “I’m glad you did,” she told told him. “It’s good to see you up and about.”

He just nodded, sitting down to watch her struggle to get a large soup pot out of the box. “Where’s Corvo?” Oswald asked, subtly leaning over to hold the box down so she could lift the pot. “Not that you two are joined at the hip…” he trailed off. Though it felt like they were. 

Jessamine merely laughed it off, coming around the counter to sit with him now, having finished unpacking her box. She looked at her watch. “Well, right about now he’s probably finishing up at the gym and taking a shower before he comes home.” She nudged his shoulder with hers. “Plenty of time to talk, if you’d like.” Her accent thickened slightly. 

Oswald shook his head. “No, no. It’s alright. I should...go.” 

She stopped him with a soft hand on his arm when he moved to stand. “You don’t have to, you know. Corvo would probably like to see you too.”

“No,” he said again. “I gotta go check in with my, uh…” Jessamine cocked her head at him questioningly. He frowned. “I was gonna say friend, but…” Jasper wasn’t exactly a friend. They weren't exactly not friends either though. 

“Girlfriend?” Jessamine suggested. 

Oswald laughed. “No,” he told her. “She’s just Jasper.” It was really the only way to explain her. Just Jasper. 

Jessamine chuckled. “Okay. Well, before you go- Corvo and I are gonna be playing at the bar again Saturday, if you wanna come. Maybe?” She smiled. 

“Maybe,” he smiled back softly. It really wasn’t hard to be tempted by them.


	42. Oswald , Monday September 17th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honesty: noun; the quality of being honest

The Void was as he has left it, Jasper hadn’t burnt it to the ground yet at least. Still, he stood in the doorway a moment, feeling a small swell of love for the old place. Granny had given it to him four years ago now, retiring from tattooing as she did (She focused on her burlesque club now). He missed her sometimes, but he thought it was probably best that she had. With a small shake of the head he continued in to find Jasper. 

When he did, she was in her little workspace, tapping away at her laptop. Jasper, as always, held nothing back when she saw him. “You look like shit.”

“It’s always so nice to see you, Jasper,” he grinned at her, even as he laid down in her chair. Not really to annoy her even, he was just exhausted. “You’re so honest with me.” She has been sitting at her desk, her laptop and her notebook open, but had since rolled her chair over to the chair to look down at him. 

She snorted, cutting her eyes at him. “What do you want, Oz? Aren’t you supposed to be at home or something?”

“Don’t call me Oz,” he told her for what could have been the thousandth time. The request fell on nothing but deaf ears. He sighed, “And I wanted see my book. Make sure everything was covered.” It was a partial truth. He did want to see his book, but he always wanted to make sure that she wasn’t being overrun with clients. 

“Most everybody wanted to reschedule. One didn’t, of course.” Jasper glared at him. “Guess who.”

He tried to smother his laugh. He really did. It didn’t work, but it was the effort that counted, right? Jasper thumped him in the ear. “Dolphin lady,” he chuckled. It wasn’t a question. They already passed that woman back and forth, always tattooing yet another dolphin somewhere on her. She was...slightly quirky, in that she was obsessed with dolphins to the point that it was all she talked about. Jasper loathed her with a passion. Oswald thought she was entertaining. 

Jasper scowled at him. “Guess where she wanted a dolphin this time.”

“Oh, I know,” he grinned. They had talked about it at length when she made the appointment. 

“Her ass, Oswald! She wanted a dolphin on her ass!” 

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m so glad you got to do that for me.”

“Shut the fuck up.” She shook her head, rolling back to her desk. “Asshole. Can’t believe you left me with dolphin lady.”

Oswald huffed out a small laugh, leaning his head towards her. “I didn’t get hit by a car on purpose.”

Jasper sighed, turning back to him softening slightly. “I know you didn’t, Oz.” A pause. “You’re still an asshole though.”

He smiled. “I know.”


	43. Jessamine, Tuesday September 18th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember: verb; have in or be able to bring to one’s mind in awareness of someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced in the past)

“At what point are we actually gonna move our beds up here?” Corvo asked, plopping himself down on the couch. They had moved a fair amount today- most of the things being Emily’s. Her room downstairs was almost bare besides her bed. 

Jessamine sat down in his lap. “Oh, one day. Maybe.” She put her arms around his neck, leaning her head over on his shoulder. “I’m so tired,” she said. 

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, hands sliding around her middle. “Better not be,” Corvo told her jokingly. “We got a lot of stuff to do, you know.” He rubbed her back gently. Jessamine couldn’t help but feel a great burst of love for the man. He had always been so good and easy to be with. Oh, how she loved him. 

Even so, she couldn’t help but whine a little too. “I know. Why do you think I’m so tired?” She laughed softly into his shoulder. “The bar Saturday, the charity, moving…”

“We gotta meet with Emily’s teacher too,” Corvo reminded her. “Remember she called about Emily again.”

She groaned. Oh, what had her angel done now? Actually she didn’t want to know just yet. And she told Corvo so. “I’d rather sit here and complain,” she told him dramatically. “Like how my father is going to pester me the entire time and probably tell me my dress is too sparkly and why aren’t we married already.”

“How would I ever keep such a wife in line? You wear sparkly dresses,” he chuckled. “It’d be a nightmare.”

Jessamine snorted. Her father had been nagging them about that ever since she got pregnant- and Emily was eleven now. “What about you?” She asked. “You bring cute guys home to sleep on our couch. What am I going to do with you?”

“You hired him.”

“You brought him home.”

“You said I should.”

That one Jessamine couldn’t argue with. “Well, you still haven’t made a move on him.” She leaned back to look him in the eye. 

“Neither have you,” he countered with a chuckle. 

“I thought we agreed both of us couldn’t make a move on him.”

Corvo scratched at his beard thoughtfully. “I believe you were the one who said, ‘why not’.” He smirked, hands running up her neck to cup her face. 

“Is that what was decided?” She asked. He shrugged. Jessamine pursed her lips, an idea forming. “Maybe we should invite him to the charity- as our date of course.” She grinned. “It is an art thing, you know.”

“I do know.” He nodded his head back and forth slowly, an obvious internal debate going on. She watched him. Waiting for him to articulate his thoughts. Finally, he sighed. “It’s not a terrible idea, but I do need to tell you something.”

Jessamine frowned. “What?” She sat up a little bit straighter, something in his tone sounding too serious for her liking. 

“Oswald,” he said. Jessamine stared at him. “I...figured out the other day that I’ve met him before.” 

“Okay.” She blinked. That wasn’t...revolutionary. _Is there more to it?_

“Remember like five years ago you told me to go out and get laid?•

She couldn’t help but laugh then. “Uh, yeah. Halloween, wasn’t it? I told you to go out and pick up a nice stranger and get laid because the year before had been my turn.” It had been a strange sort of tradition for a while there. They stopped for no particular reason other than wanting to trick or treat with Emily, but it had been fun. “You came back seeming particularly satisfied,” she recalled aloud. Though obviously didn’t see where he was going with this. His next words clarified things. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Cause the stranger I picked up- Oswald.”

Jessamine sat in stunned silence for a long moment before saying aloud, “Holy shit.” Her boyfriend and the guy they had a crush on it. “Oswald? And it took you that long to realize?” Somehow she thought that would have been the sort of thing you remembered. 

“Listen...I’m old and bad at faces...” 

“You’re not old,” Jessamine laughed, leaning her head into his shoulder again. “Wow. Okay.” She shook her head. “You know I gotta ask though.” Corvo raised an eyebrow at her. “How was it?” 

It was the first time in a long time that she saw Corvo blush.


	44. Oswald, Wednesday September 19th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accompany: verb; go somewhere with (someone) as a companion or escort

Everything was really coming together now. He would be done with the whales soon. There were still some details to work on and the other paintings, but he was happy with his progress nonetheless. He had just sat down again when he heard a small knock on the door followed by his favorite couple waltzing on inside. 

“Hi.” Jessamine twinkled a small wave at her, her heels clicking softly on the hardwood floor as she came over to him. 

“Hey, Oswald,” Corvo greeted him as well, walking past to the kitchen though. “Jess, I’m going to see what you’ve done to my kitchen.” Oswald watched him go, half smirking at Corvo and his apparent ownership of the kitchen. So domestic. It was adorable. 

Jessamine set a light hand on the back of his head as she stood next to him, looking at little starstruck as she gazed at what he had painted. “It’s amazing,” she said quietly, fingers gently ruffling through his hair now. He would have leaned away if it hadn’t felt so nice. 

Oswald looked down at his hands, still covered in various shades of blue paint. He was getting paint everywhere but the floor it seemed (despite the paper he had put down to catch anything that might have gotten there, it remained clean). “Thank you,” he told her. “I’m close to being done.”

Jessamine smiled. “Wonderful.” A pause. “By the way, we didn’t just come up here to-“ 

A loud banging from the kitchen interrupted her, followed by Corvo shouting, “Jessamine, what the fuck?”

Jessamine giggled, her hand finally pausing in his hair. “What do you mean, honey?” She called back, looking towards the kitchen. 

“This isn’t how you put a waffle iron in a cabinet!”

“I tried, okay!” The only response was a very deep sighed and the sound of pots and pans being shuffled around. She shrugged to Oswald. “He’ll figure it out,” she half laughed. “Anyways, I wanted to tell you that we came up here cause we wanted to ask you something.”

Oswald could only look at her and wait. _What could they possibly want to ask me about now? Another painting?_ She smiled, a light hand sliding down to the side of his face. “Don’t look so sad,” she told him. “It’s nothing bad. Come on. We’ll talk in the kitchen with Corvo.” She gestured to the kitchen. 

“Oh...I’ve got paint all over me.” Looking down at the paint on his hands again he imaged small blue smears dotting their spotless kitchen and cringed. 

Jessamine waved him away. “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” She smiled again, walking away and into the kitchen. 

He sighed. It was always so hard to argue with her it seemed. Harder still after she had had her hands in his hair like that. His scalp practically tingled now from the contact. _I really need to get out more_ , he thought even as he pushed himself up off the floor to follow her. “Is it about the paintings?” Oswald asked as he ambled on into the kitchen. “I’m uh, working as best I can here.” Which was true. Probably he was working more than he should have. His wrist was still a bit sore. 

“Oh, no. Nothing like that, sweetie.” Jessamine was already sitting down at the counter. She patted the seat beside her, inviting her to sit down. Corvo stood, his back to them, staring at an empty cabinet, several pots and pans on the counter- obviously having once lived in said cabinet. 

Oswald sat down hesitantly, worrying idly that he was perhaps too comfortable with Jessamine. She did have a boyfriend. (And he was an idiot for liking both of them honestly.) “Alright, I’ll bite then. What’s up?” 

Jessamine grinned, propping the side of her head up on her fist and her elbow on the counter. “How would you like to accompany us to the annual Dunwall Charity Art Event next week?” 

“Us?” Oswald echoed. 

“Yeah, the both of us. We’re both going.” Corvo turned to look at him now. “But if you want to get technical you’ll be _my_ date.” 

Suddenly, he wished desperately for a drink. An odd feeling for him, but one he brushed aside. Oswald looked between Corvo and Jessamine- both of them looking completely sincere. Still, Oswald couldn’t shake the feeling that this was some kind of weird joke. A date? With them? Both of them? 

“You’ll need a suit,” Jessamine told him. 

One time Granny had told him, ‘Don’t ever look a gift horse in the mouth, boy,’ which, at the time, seemed a bit strange. Now...he thought perhaps she was probably right. She always was though, he shouldn’t have been surprised. “I guess I need to go shopping then,” Oswald finally told her. 

Jessamine grinned, wiggling in her seat. She wrapped her arms around Oswald’s shoulders in excitement. “Yay,” she squealed. “I’m so glad.” She planted a small kiss at his temple, blushing. Corvo smiled at him, looking every bit as pleased as Jessamine in his own subtle way.


	45. Jasper, Thursday September 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Company: noun; the fact or condition of being with another or others, especially in a way that provides friendship and enjoyment

She checked the address again. Yep. This was the building. Oswald had said it was fancy, she saw he wasn’t far off the mark. It was as fancy as things got before you got into territory like her parents. 

Getting on the elevator, Jasper ate yet another one of his fries out of the bag. He ordered a sandwich and fries. He was gonna get a sandwich. The fries she had claimed as her own at this point. They were her fee for bringing him lunch like this. 

When she got to the apartment she wondered briefly if she was still at the right place, a penthouse seemed a bit expensive for Oswald, but knocked on the door anyway. If it wasn’t Oswald who answered the door, she’d eat his sandwich and go back to work. As luck would have it, Oswald did open the door- looking terribly tired and ruffled. He took the bag from her hand. “Thanks.”

“Hey, those fries are mine now,” she told him, stopping him when he went to close the door. “You owe me for bringing your whiny ass lunch today.”

He squinted at her for a second before finally signing and opening the door back up. “Fine. Come on, we’ll split everything.” 

Jasper snorted, following him inside. “You live in a penthouse- you could have just bought me an actual lunch.” That said- it was a nice place. Definitely better than her own, but not quite the nicest she had ever seen. Plus, this place seemed to be missing a lot of furniture. Casting a short glance around she saw only a couch and a bookshelf and what appeared to be a small art nest next to the far right wall. “Are you painting that wall?” She asked, taking a step closer to the nest, which was the messiest part of the room it seemed, having been littered with art supplies. 

“Yeah,” Oswald said, sitting on the floor a bit away from the wall and facing towards the large windows to her left. “Whales. And I don’t live here,” he said, pulling out his sandwich and what was left of his fries. 

The whales were distinctly Oswald’s that was for sure. He had a way of painting that Jasper couldn’t help but find alluring in a certain way. She hummed, taking one last glance at the wall before sitting down next to him on the floor. “What’re you doing here then?” She asked, taking the half of sandwich he had set aside for her. 

It wasn’t unusual for them to share lunch- they often ate together at the shop, but she felt a bit like a kid on the playground- sitting cross-legged on the floor with the other weird kid who shared their lunch with her and watching the sky. There was a strange sense of deja vu to it. 

Oswald only shrugged at her question though. “Painting.”

She huffed. “No shit, Sherlock.”

He laughed, taking another bite of sandwich. “I got hired to do some painting. I accidentally fall asleep here sometimes. The two people who hired me don’t mind.” Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked, “That enough information for you?”

Jasper rolled her eyes. “No. I wanna know who hired you.”

“Jessamine Kaldwin and Corvo Attano.” He shrugged again. 

The first name gave her pause. She knew about the Kaldwins. Socialites like her parents. Surely even, the Fontaines and the Kaldwins has rubbed elbows at some point or another. Jasper wasn’t sure she had ever met a Jessamine though. Attano, on the other hand, rang no bells. Strange. 

After a moment Oswald spoke again. “I’m coming back to work tomorrow, by the way.” Stuffing the last bite of sandwich in his mouth he dusted off his hands, picking up the fries finally. She stole one more from the small bag before letting him eat in peace. 

“Okay,” she merely nodded. Jasper didn’t mention that she was glad about it or that she had been getting lonely sitting alone at work most of the days he had been gone. No reason to tell him anyway.


	46. Oswald, Friday September 21st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Threesome: noun; a group of three people engaged in the same activity

“Oswald Black!” Billie screeched at him just as soon as she opened the door. The man Jasper had been tattooing a tree on looked up, more surprised than Oswald. 

Jasper muttered something about him being in trouble before going back to what she was doing. Oswald, who had been sketching up something for a new client, barely looked up even when Billie came over and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “What?” He finally asked, looking up at his friend. 

“Jessamine just told me you’re going on a _date_ with her and Corvo.” 

Oswald blinked at her, suddenly realizing Billie was essentially in her pajamas. Apparently she had been in a rush to get here. As well as that she looked very stressed out, bags under her eyes and her hair almost as messy as his own. Which was odd for her. She was a very put together person. He now somehow doubted this was all about him. “Why don’t we go for a walk,” he suggested. “I have about an hour until anyone comes in.” He stood up. “Jasper, I’ll be back in twenty.” She just waved him away. 

Billie frowned at him, looking like she wanted to argue for a moment before finally sighing in defeat. “Alright,” She shook her head. 

They walked out together, Oswald having no particular destination in mind, but they ended up sitting down on a small bench in the park nearby. “What’s up, Billie?” He asked after they had been sitting there for a while. “And don’t say it’s my date, ‘cause you didn’t even get this upset over Benny and he was a drug dealer.” He smiled over at her. 

Billie chewed on her lip, fingers fidgeting with her prosthetic hand. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Just some problems with work.” A pause. “I think I have a stalker, Oswald.” She frowned at him. 

That was...concerning to say the least. Oswald frowned. “What do you mean?” He asked. 

She shrugged. “I dunno. I keep getting weird calls and stuff.” She picked up a leaf off the ground only to begin tearing it up into tiny pieces. “I told Daud,” she said. 

“And?” 

“He said not to worry and he’d get someone to check into it.”

“Okay. Well, you wanna come stay with me for a while?” Oswald asked, offering the only solution he could come up with. “I owe you anyway,” he said, bumping her shoulder with his. She was the main reason he didn’t end up a homeless teenager honestly, having been able to convince Daud to house him at the time. Daud kicking him out later had been his own fault though. 

Billie shook her head. “No, I don’t wanna get involved in your threesome.” She gave him a sly look, a smirk forming at the edge of her lips. “What are you doing, Outsider? This is pretty wild.”

He chuckled, standing up. “I’ll tell you all about it if we can go get coffee instead of staring at squirrels.” Oswald looked pointedly at the squirrels hopping around a few yards away. 

She smiled tiredly. “Fine, but I want all the details.”


	47. Oswald, Saturday September 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watch: verb; look at or observe attentively, typically over a period of time

Billie shook her head at him. “I can’t believe you’re having a threeway date and I have to be a fourth wheel.”

“I don’t think this is technically a date, the other thing is a date, and you don’t have to sit here, you know.” Oswald looked pointedly at the empty table a few feet away. “Besides if anyone is fourth wheeling it’s me.” He snorted. “At least you’re part of the band. I’m just here to watch.”

Just as Oswald said this the two other wheels in this scenario sat down. Jessamine next to him and Corvo next to Billie on the other side of the booth. “Well, I wouldn't say that,” Jessamine told him, obviously having heard the tail end of their conversation. “You're here to wish us luck of course.”

“Better wish it quick,” Corvo said. “We’re up soon.” 

“Yeah, and uh, by the way,” Billie began. “If we’re gonna keep doing this- the three of us should probably like...get together and practice some sometime.” She shrugged. “Just a thought.” 

“No,” Corvo said, nodding. “I agree. We’ve just gotta figure when.” He took a sip of the drink he had sat down with. Whiskey from the looks of it. Huh. 

Jessamine nodded. “Once we’re completely moved in and gotten everything settled I think we’ll be able to.” A small shrug. “Right now between Emily, work, and moving we just end up spending all our free time sleeping.” She laughed lightly, grinning over at Oswald. “Well, maybe not _all_ our time, but you know what I mean.”

“I don’t think Billie wants to know what we do with our free time.” Corvo chuckled, only turning his drink round on the table idly. “Oz over there might, but Billie probably doesn’t.” He winked up at Oswald. 

Oswald just laughed, shaking his head. ‘Oz.’ Normally, he would have protested at the nickname, but he found he didn’t terribly mind it now. Not to mention- he actually wouldn’t mind hearing what they did with their free time, but, as Corvo seemed to suggest, that was best a conversation for another time. 

Corvo downed the rest of his drink and stood. “I’m going to go make sure everything is ready.” He leaned over to kiss Jessamine. “Don’t get into too much trouble without me.”

She laughed, pecking him on the lips. “We’ll be back there soon.” Corvo winked at him again, a small smirk playing at the edge of his lips, before continuing on. Jessamine shook her head, leaning over a bit on Oswald. “Asshole, thinks he can out flirt me here.” She grinned. 

“Is it a competition now?” He laughed. _God, what is my life even anymore?_ “I thought we were all in this together.”

Jessamine snaked an arm over his shoulder. “Oh, we are, sweetie. He just thinks it’s fun to make fun of my flirting skills.” She hovered very close now, her breath tickling his face. Billie coughed awkwardly- which they both ignored. “Kiss me for luck?” Jessamine asked. 

He hummed. Only now daring to touch her for the first time, one hand cupping the back of her neck to bring her scarlet lips to his own for a brief few seconds. “Good luck,” Oswald told her, hand slipping down her back. She smiled. 

“Well, you’re not wishing _me_ luck like _that_ ,” Billie announced loudly, getting up from the table. 

Jessamine giggled, finally leaning back. “We’ll see you later, Oswald. Don’t get bored watching us and leave, okay?” She kissed the side of his face- no doubt leaving a large lipstick mark there. 

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I love to watch.”


	48. Corvo, Saturday September 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pleasure: noun; a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment

When Oswald began bidding his goodbyes, Jessamine kissing his face again (she did love leaving lipstick on people, Corvo knew this from personal experience), so did Corvo. “I’ll walk with you,” he told him, kissing Jessamine goodbye himself. Jessamine would catch a cab home with Billie, she’d be fine, but he wanted to make sure Oswald made it home alright. Not only that, but he wanted to. 

“Walking is for chumps,” Oswald told him, pulling his coat around him tighter when they got outside. It was getting a bit cooler at night now. Hopefully, their walk would be a short one. 

Corvo chuckled, buttoning up his own coat. “Yeah? Where’s that motorcycle of yours then?” He arched an eyebrow at him in question. In retrospect, that didn’t sound any warmer than walking though. 

“Sitting in a parking lot somewhere waiting to be fixed,” he told him as they walked. 

“And when will that be?”

Laughing, Oswald said, “When I have the money. So, I suppose when I finish some of those paintings I’m suppose to be doing for you.”

“You know we could pay you now.” He smiled. “I don’t think you’ll skip out on us.” They stopped for traffic, giving them a moment to stop and look at each other. Oswald looked very troubled, eyebrows furrowing as he looked over at Corvo. “No offense, but Jessamine has a lot of money, you know.” Corvo shrugged. It wasn’t a secret and it wasn’t anything that Oswald didn’t already know. 

Oswald shook his head, a small laugh escaping. “Sounds an awful lot like sugar daddy territory. Not sure how I feel about that.”

Corvo couldn’t help but burst out laughing, one of the people that had been waiting for the light with them giving him a weird look. Not that it mattered, they were soon walking again. “I can assure you,” he chuckle, “that Jessamine would be willing to help you with your bills even if she didn’t like you.”

They rounded a corner and Oswald grabbed his elbow, steering him into a small apartment building that he had almost missed. “Someone once told me not to look a gift horse in the mouth,” he said, once again pointing Corvo in the right direction as he headed for the stairs. “But honestly, you two are suspiciously nice horses.” He smiled. “I don’t want two horses to suddenly decide I’m too weird for them.” 

Corvo grabbed Oswald’s hand, stopping him. He paused, letting the silence of the vacant hallway settling over them for a moment. Letting _everything_ settle for just a moment. “We like you,” he told him sincerely, keeping his eyes on him. “Trust me. It’s all very...strange, I know.” That much he could admit. “But we do.”

“Trust you?” Oswald echoed, eyes searching his face. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said, his voice quiet, “That’s really asking a lot, you know?” He glanced down the hallway a bit nervously. “Not really the trusting type, myself.”

Corvo nodded. “Please.” He squeezed his hand. 

“Give me one good reason.” Oswald’s chin jerked up at him, almost challengingly. 

Corvo nodded, considering the question. “Just one?” Off the top of his head he could think of at least a couple, if not more, but he’d settle for one. Oswald hummed. “Okay,” he said. “I can give you one.” 

Taking his face in his hands, Corvo kissed him. He didn’t waste the second of surprise that made Oswald open his mouth, slipping his tongue in just for a moment. Oswald just leaned back slightly laughing, grabbing the front of Corvo’s coat and pushing him back against the wall. His own hands fell to the other man’s waist. 

“Maybe you’ve got a point,” he whispered, leaning back in to kiss him. Oswald kissed deeper than Corvo had dared, pulling him closer all the while. That said, Corvo was a more than willing participant and enjoying every second of it. He noted, at some point while Oswald’s tongue was in his mouth, that unlike last time, his tongue was no longer pierced. _Interesting._

When finally he seemed satisfied, Oswald leaned away. “My apartment is down there,” he nodded towards the end of the hallway, taking a step back. “Thank you for walking me home.”

Corvo, still leaning back against the wall, just smiled. “My pleasure.” It wasn’t until Oswald had turned to go that Corvo called his name again to stop him. He turned back to look at him, eyebrows raised. “Missed your tongue piercing this time.” He grinned at him, turning to retreat down the stairwell. _That was probably enough for him to think about for now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got, got that silver, silver tongue, Drives you into delirium Got, got that silver, got that silver tongue like, ah, I'm addicted to madness, but what can I say?, I'm addicted to badness, but what can I do?, I got my silver tongue


	49. Jessamine, Saturday September 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrible: extremely or distressingly bad or serious

Corvo got home only about ten minutes after she did. Waltzing into the kitchen and taking her wine glass from her. He drained it in one go before giving it back. “So, I kissed Oswald.”

“Well, that makes two of us.” Jessamine smiled, refilling her glass. Luckily she had already sent Calista, the babysitter, home and Emily was asleep, but if she and Corvo kept at it like this they would finish the bottle of wine tonight. 

“A lot.” Corvo said, leaning against the counter. He pulled her by the waist to him. 

When he started kissing her neck she laughed lightly. “And you come back to me in this state.” Her free hand slid to the edge of his jeans. _“And you say I’m terrible,”_ she laughed, grinding her hips against his. 

Corvo groaned, leaning his head into her shoulder. “We’re _both_ terrible.” 

Setting down her wine glass on the counter behind she put a hand on his stubbly cheek. “Not the word I would use.” Unfortunately, the word she would use wouldn’t come to mind just yet, so instead she said, “This is just how things are.” Jessamine giggled, the wine already setting in. “It’s only terrible if you do me on the counter now.”

“It’ll be just a little terrible then,” he murmured, kissing her jaw, his hands already undoing the buttons of her shirt. 

Jessamine leaned her head back and laughed. “Oh, I doubt that.” _Maybe they wouldn’t finish the wine tonight._


	50. Oswald, Saturday September 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiss: verb; touch with the lips as a sign of love, sexual desire, reverence, or greeting

Jasper sat on his couch, eating pizza (the bribe to get her over here) and listening to him ramble. She watched him pace back and forth around the small apartment as he explained what happened. When he stopped, she finally spoke, “So, they both kissed you? Like...at the same time?” Jasper paused, looking thoughtful. “Kinky.” She sounded delighted by the fact. _Why on earth did I call her? Of all the people…_

“It was separate occasions,” Oswald said. “Neither of them were really present for the other kissing me.” 

“Disappointing, but why am I here?” She gestured around his apartment with half a slice of pizza. “Like, why did you actually have to make me come over instead of calling?” 

That was a great question. One he didn’t have an answer to. He sighed, dropping his head into his hand. “I don’t know. You seem like you’d know about these sorts of things?” 

“Know about what?” She howled with laughter. “Kissing people? Kissing multiple people? Kissing people you’ve slept with before?”

“I don’t know,” he laughed with her hopelessly. “All of it? What does one do in this situation?”

When her laughter had settled down Jasper said seriously, “Oswald. There’s nothing to do. If you like them and they like you. Just...do whatever feels right, I guess.” She shrugged, giving him a look like, ‘I don’t know what you want here really’.

He hummed, finally coming to sit down beside her even though she had chosen to take up most of the couch. “That sounds suspiciously like okay advice.” 

Jasper snorted. “Just have a piece of pizza and chill out, edgelord.” She passed the half of pizza in her hand to him. “Two kisses don’t even have to mean anything.”

“More okay advice?” He asked. “Who are you and what’ve you done with my asshole friend?”

“You know I’m right.” He frowned at her. She rolled her eyes, putting a hand on his leg and scooting slightly closer suddenly. The kiss was short and quick, her lips barely on his before she had leaned back again. “There. Nothing.” A pause. “You dropped your pizza.”

“There have just been a lot of people kissing me tonight, okay.” He picked up the pizza from the couch, throwing it back into the open box on the coffee table. There was lint on it, no one was going to eat it now. “But I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

“Do you always kiss people to prove it?” He asked. 

“Oh, just the people who I really want to shut up.”


	51. Oswald, Monday September 24th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escapades: noun; an act or incident involving excitement, daring, or adventure

“Billie Lurk said I should talk to you because you owe her a favor,” Oswald explained to the woman over the phone. Lunch time was, as always, the time to try and call any place of business, he was lucky to have gotten on the phone at all. 

The woman, Elena, apparently, on the other end of the line hummed several times. “Oh, yeah, I know Billie,” she sighed wistfully. “Boy, that woman knows-“

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Oswald announced loudly, making Jasper look up from her desk. He waved her away. “I just need to talk to you about the fee regarding my motorcycle parked in your parking lot while I wait for it to be fixed.”

Elena sighed again. “Billie wants me to wave this fee, don’t she?”

“If you would, please,” he said. He sighed. As much as his next words pained him to say, he told her, “Billie said to mention the Fourth of July and what you said to her that night.” God, he didn’t even want to think about Billie’s escapades with this woman and yet here he was bringing them up specifically over the phone for a favor. 

The woman laughed. “Okay. Okay, honey. I give. Which bike is yours?” He heard some tapping on a keyboard. 

“The black Kawasaki that looks beat to hell,” he told her. 

She laughed. “Oh, that one. I remember that one. Okay. Anddd...you must be Oswald Black then?”

“That’s me.” 

He answered a few more questions for her before finally hanging up. When he did he got up and went over to Jasper. “Where’s my lunch?” He asked. She was supposed to pick up when she got hers. She frowned, a chopstick full of noodles halfway to her mouth. The look on her face telling him obviously that she had forgotten about his food entirely. “I gave you money!” He exclaimed. 

“I forgot!” She threw down her chopsticks. “I told you to text me a reminder!”

Oswald sighed. “Whatever. It’s fine. Just-“ he had been about to ask for his money back when his phone rang. 

“Oh, that a bootycall?” She winked. 

“Shut up,” Oswald grumbled. “I still want my money back,” he called going back to grab his phone. Picking up his phone he saw it was Jessamine. “Hello,” he said, already walking back over to Jasper. He made a ‘gimme’ motion at her. She handed him her box of Chinese food. He rolled his eyes, but took it anyway. He was more hungry than angry at this point. 

“Hi, Oswald,” Jessamine chirped, sounding as bright as usual. “I wanted to know if you were busy?”

“You know,” Jasper began, watching him. “I thought you were gay until last night. Like, I didn’t know you were bi. I thought you know...just liked guys.” She smirked. “You’re such a fucking twink, I’m surprised I’m the only one.”

Setting the food down on her desk he flipped Jasper the bird, moving away after a second so he could focus on whatever Jessamine wanted. “Yeah, um, I’m at work. A lot to do today actually. Why?” Had he accidentally made some sort of plans with her last night?

“Really though,” Jasper said, coming up behind him. “I had no idea until last night.” She rested her chin on his shoulder, trying to listen to the other end of the conversation. “Is that Jessamine?” She whispered. 

“Well,” Jessamine began, but he stopped her there. 

“Hold on, Jess.” He covered the phone. “I swear to God, Jasper,” Oswald hissed. “Go sit down, so I can talk, you hellspawn!”

Jasper just laughed at him, plopping herself back down in her desk chair easily. Oswald shook his head, picking his phone back up as he walked out into the aisle between their workspaces. 

“What was _that_?” Jessamine asked, half laughing. 

“The pain in my ass,” he told her, loud enough Jasper would hear. “Now,” he said more evenly. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, if you don’t mind,” Jessamine said delicately. “I’d like to take you shopping so you have a proper suit for the charity event.”

He frowned. “That’s really-“

“It’s nothing,” she insisted before he could finish the thought. “Please. Come. Let me take you shopping. It’ll be fun.”

“We have different definitions of fun,” Oswald told her.“But fine.” He was hesitant to tell her so, but he suppose Corvo had had a point last night. That didn’t make it feel any less weird, but with any luck that would pass. “I’ve probably got time tomorrow.”

“Great,” Jessamine said. “I’ll meet you…”

“Here. The Void,” he told her and gave her the address. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Is that where you work?” She asked. “I’ve seen you post stuff on Instagram tagged #TheVoid. I always assumed but…”

He nodded, looking around the dusty old place. it needed a good deep cleaning soon. He made a mental note to get glass cleaner tomorrow. The front window needed it desperately. “Yep, that’s the place. Right across from the nail salon and between the daiquiri place and an accountant.”

“Got it. I’ll be there around ten. Sound good?” 

“Fine by me.” 

Giving him a short goodbye she hung up. Hanging up his own end, he turned back to face Jasper. “First of all, I am a twunk!”


	52. Jessamine, Tuesday September 25th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gratitude: noun; the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

The tailor, an old Italian man who had been making clothes for the Kaldwin’s since before Jessamine was born, hummed. “I think that will do.” He nodded to himself, as he shuffled off again. 

When he had gone, at least for a moment, Oswald looked over at Jessamine from where he stood on the pedestal. “I thought were just finding me a suit.” He had been very hesitant to even come into the small shop, even more so to get his measurements taken. 

“We are.” Jessamine smiled, though she feared she might have overstepped on this one. “It’s just...easier if he makes you one. Don’t you think?”

“Expensive,” Oswald said. “I think it’s very expensive.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing I have a lot of money,” she tried to make light of it. Maybe she hadn’t thought this through entirely. 

Oswald sighed. “You know, I really gotta ask. Do you guys do this a lot?”

“Buy people suits? Not really I guess, though there was that one time. Or date the same guy? Cause that’s a no too. This is an entirely new thing for us.” 

“Spend a lot of money on people you barely know…”

“Oh.” Jessamine frowned. “Well, I mean, I don’t know.” In truth, she had never really thought about. She helped people where she could and she liked doing it. “It’s not a big deal,” she finally told him. “It’s just money.”

Oswald had just opened his mouth when the tailor came back. “Alright, Miss Jessamine, I got everything I need. Should be able to get everything delivered by Thursday.”

Both of them bidding the man goodbye they left, Jessamine looping her arm with Oswald’s as they walked. “So, we got you a suit and we found you shoes earlier. Need anything else?” She asked. 

“I think- Wait.” Oswald stopped in front of the window, of one of the shops they had been walking by, going to look in at the clothes in the window. 

“What?” Jessamine sauntered back over to him, to see what he was looking at. “Oh, wow.” It was a gorgeous gown in the window. Black and fairly lacy with small beads sewn into the fabric into an intricate pattern.* 

“Do you have something to wear?” Oswald asked, innocently. 

“What are you thinking?” 

“Honestly?” He said. “I’m thinking I’d love to see you in that dress so I could paint you.” Jessamine was already heading towards the door.


	53. Jasper, Tuesday September 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idea: noun; a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action

Perhaps, she was looking into things where she shouldn’t have, but then Oswald didn’t seem to be looking into them at all. So, Jasper figured, if she did a little digging herself it wouldn’t hurt anything. And anyways, she was curious about this Attano guy. Or at least, that the reason she was telling herself she was making sure Oswald’s dates checked out. 

Jessamine Kaldwin for sure did. She was, as Jasper had thought, one of the higher class like her parents. There was a whole slew of newspaper articles and various tabloids that she was mentioned in. From everything from her own business ventures to her mother getting murdered when she was a teenager. The only mention of Corvo Attano was with Jessamine though- her bodyguard and apparent boyfriend. Other than that, not a peep about the man. 

Jasper supposed that was better than nothing. At the end of the rope on that one she just kept scrolling through the articles. The rest was mostly bullshit. Just various fake stories about other famous semi-rich families around. 

She stopped when she saw one about a woman blackmailing a couple for money. Blackmail, Jasper thought. _Well, isn’t that a swell idea._

Noting that for later, Jasper’s thoughts drifted back to Oswald somehow. That kiss the other night had...reminded her of some things and a terrible idea was forming.


	54. Oswald, Wednesday September 26th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lonely: adjective; sad because one has no friends or company

Of all the people to be knocking on his door at 1am, he hadn’t expect Jasper. “Uh, hey?” He cocked his head to the side at her. 

“Hey,” she pushed past him into the apartment. “I’m thinking about doing something mildly bad.” She went into his kitchen, mumbling something about alcohol. 

Oswald closed the door. “Illegal bad or morally bad?” He ambled back in after her. Having done his own share of illegal activities, he couldn’t judge much, but still he had to ask.

“Both,” Jaspered answered, meeting him halfway with his half bottle of vodka (the only alcohol he had on hand) and a glass. She sat down on the couch, already pouring herself a shot glass worth of vodka. Looking up at him with sad brown eyes, she turned the bottom up on the glass. 

“Oh, that’s fun.” He sat down next to her. “Not sure vodka is the next best step, but okay.” 

Jasper ignored him. “Nice pj’s.” She looked pointedly at the only piece of clothing he had bothered to put on to open the door, his jellyfish pajama pants. 

Oswald felt himself blush and hoped Jasper didn’t notice. He got the feeling she’d be a mean drunk. He took the bottle from her, getting a good mouthful himself before returning it. “Why are you here?” He asked. It’s not really like they were good friends. 

Jasper poured herself another shots worth and drank it before answering. “That’s a good question.” Pursing her lips, she said, “I guess I was just lonely.”

“Oh.” That was unexpected. “Okay.” 

“Yeah.” She nodded, finally abandoning the glass and drinking from the bottle too. She offered it to him after a moment, but he waved her away. The one mouthful was probably enough. “Oswald?” 

“Hm?” He looked up just in time for her to plant her lips square on his. It was longer than the last one and tasted like alcohol. Leaning back, he voiced his only thought again, “Oh.” _That_ sort of lonely. He got that. (The one thing he didn’t get was why him.) 

First setting their shared bottle on the coffee table Jasper swung a leg over, straddling him. She put her hands on the back couch over his shoulders. “You want to?” She murmured, not meeting his eyes. 

Oswald sighed, his hands already running up her thighs. All things considered, he probably shouldn’t. Yet the words he found coming out of his mouth were, “Yeah, okay.” _Why am I like this?_ Oh, he could be so weak willed. 

Jasper didn’t need much more invitation, her hands dropping down to his shoulders and leaning in to kiss him again. His hands settled on her hips, fingers skimming at the skin above the waistband of her jeans. She kissed rougher now, her teeth catching his lip to bite him several times. 

After a while Jasper leaned back. “Are you going to take my clothes off or what?” She asked shaking her head, pulling her hoodie off even as she asked, revealing only a lacy black bra. 

Humming appreciatively when she unhooked her bra he let his hands roam then, up her back and over her tattoo, only glancing down the sides of her at first. _Why rush?_ Jasper groaned, leaning her head back when Oswald finally slid his hands up to her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples gently. 

He smirked. “Take your pants off.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Sliding a hand in her back pocket she produced a condom, pushing it at him before moving to stand up and unbutton her pants.


	55. Jasper, Wednesday September 26th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satisfaction: noun; fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this

Oswald slept pretty soundly she found. They had moved to the bed when he decided she needed more attention than himself. Which Jasper was grateful for. Surprised, sure, but grateful. (Even more surprising had been the fact that he actually seemed to know what he was doing)

She only allowed herself to revel in the satisfaction of it all for a little while, laying a small distance away from Oswald, watching him sleep. Jasper watched his breathing, trying to match her own to it. Letting her chest rise and fall evenly, she thought, _I got it out of my system. That’s all that matters._ She wouldn’t have to think about it anymore or wonder. Now she knew. 

One of her hands stretched out to touch his shoulder, gently, wanting just to trail her fingertips over the flowers and the squid inked there. Just one last touch before she left. With a sigh she withdrew, sitting up to begin finding her clothes. 

Her panties were on the floor beside the bed, the ones that matched the bra she had dropped in the living room. Jasper grabbed them, heading back into the living room to get the rest of everything. 

Pulling on her bra and her hoodie she noticed Oswald’s pajamas were still on the floor too and shook her head at herself. _Of all the guys...I had to like the one who wears pajamas with cartoon jellyfish on them. Wait, no_ , she caught herself. She didn’t like Oswald. He was just...convenient. At least least that was what she told herself repeatedly as she began making her way to the door, pulling her shoes on. 

Jasper paused only when she heard a crashing next door. She frowned, listening for a moment. After a second someone began shouting, something about a cat maybe. Then another voice, louder, talking about how it wasn’t the cat’s fault. Jasper cast a glance back at the bedroom. He must be used to it. Shaking her head, Jasper continued out. It wasn’t her problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better watch you stay or you might get scarred, Try and run away, you won't get far 


	56. Corvo, Thursday September 27th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ready: adjective; in a suitable state for an activity, action, or situation

“Oh, you’re here today. Good,” Corvo said upon seeing that Oswald was standing in the den, staring at the wall. “I wanted to ask you about something.”

“What’s that?” Oswald asked, turning to them. 

“Go get what you need,” he told Emily, shooing her in the direction of her new room. She’d probably get a bit lost on the way, but she’d get there eventually. Walking closer to Oswald, he said, “Well, I’ve been thinking about it lately and I want a tattoo.”

Oswald quirked an eyebrow at him. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Corvo chuckled. 

“You have an idea in mind?”

“Not at all,” Corvo told him. “I think I’ll leave it up to you.” Oswald looked up at him curiously. “Think you’re up for it?”

Oswald laughed lightly, looking down at his hands. “I am, if you are. Can see you tomorrow if you want.” He looked back up at Corvo, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “If you’re ready for it, that is.”

“Of course,” Corvo grinned. 

It was then that Emily came sprinting back in, her books and her stuffed animal in her arms. “Will you draw me a chicken, too?” Emily asked, leaning towards Oswald. 

Oswald looked between Corvo and Emily for a moment. “You know what, I will draw a chicken tonight when I draw your dad his tattoo.” He smiled over at her. 

They had turned to go, but Oswald stopped them. “Corvo?” 

“Yes?” He looked back. 

He frowned, looking at Emily, “Nevermind. We can talk tomorrow.”

“You’re sure?” 

Oswald nodded. “Tomorrow, Corvo. Tomorrow.” He waved them a goodbye, turning his attention back to his art. 

“Alright, bye for now then.” He and Emily both gave a short wave before leaving.


	57. Oswald, Friday September 28th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharp: 1. adjective; (of an object) having an edge or point that is able to cut or pierce something 2. (of words or a speaker) intended or intending to criticize or hurt

He had drawn up several things for Corvo last night, but personally, he felt the steampunk-esque heart he had done was by far the best. The birds were okay, but they didn’t have the same personality as the heart. 

Setting the drawings on the counter in front of Corvo, Oswald told him as much. Corvo smiled, nodding. “I do like that one,” he said leafing through what Oswald had set in front of him. 

“So,” Oswald said, as Corvo looked. “Does Jessamine know you’re doing this?” 

“Of course.”

“What did she think?” He raised an eyebrow. 

“That I’m trying to get on your good side.”

He turned a sketch around so he could see it better. Funny, he didn’t remember drawing that. Maybe he had grabbed one of Jasper’s by mistake. “Are you?” Oswald’s eyes flickered up to meet his. 

Corvo grinned. “Always,” he said. “Is it working?”

He hummed. “Maybe a little.” _Maybe a lot._

Smiling still, Corvo pushed the sketch of the heart towards him. “I like this one.” 

“You’re sure?” He nodded. “Alright,” Oswald said. “Where do you want it?”

He tapped the place over his own heart. 

Oswald nodded. “Right then. Shirt- off.” When he complied Oswald just sighed in appreciation. “Jessamine is a very lucky woman,” he noted quietly, already getting to work and grabbing a razor. When he had finally gotten rid of all the hair and gotten the stencil on, Oswald paused. “Can I ask you a question, Corvo?” He had been meaning to ask yesterday, but hadn’t wanted to say anything with his daughter there. Corvo nodded, so he continued, “The other night you mentioned my tongue piercing…” Corvo just hummed, nodding. “I take it that means you remember...Well, you remember.” 

Corvo smirked, looking a bit sheepish actually. “I’ll admit, it took me a bit to realize.”

“A bit?” Oswald laughed. “Well, that’s-“

Jasper chose that moment to come waltzing through the front door. His heart jumped at the sight of her. They hadn’t seen each other since their last, particularly interesting, encounter. She looked good, but she always did; it seemed on purpose today. Black jeans, a leather jacket, and dark sunglasses- she could have easily knocked him over with a feather when she came up to the two of them. 

“And who are you?” She asked, taking off her sunglasses, not so subtly ignoring Oswald completely. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Jasper, this is Corvo Attano. I told you about him before. Corvo this is Jasper Crowe. She is-“

 

“Single,” she smiled brilliantly, looking at Oswald even as she shook Corvo’s hand. His brows pulled together. That had been a bit sharp. But then, he supposed he should have expected that from her. 

Corvo has the audacity to blush. “Good to know,” he chuckled. Turning back to Oswald, he said, “You ready to do this then?”

“I am if you are,” Oswald told him. Not like he was the one about to get stabbed a billion times for the sake of art. At least not this time. “You’re not gonna be a wuss are you?” Oswald asked. 

When Corvo frowned Jasper snorted. “Don’t worry, Attano, he always asks that.” She shook her head. 

“I have to,” he defended himself. He looked at Corvo. “Listen, I had a guy scream bloody murder at me once. For the entire tattoo. I ask questions now.”

Corvo chuckled. “That sounds fair. I promise I won’t scream though.”

Oswald looked at Jasper, a small smile forming on his lips. They always said that. She arched her eyebrows at the both of them. “Well, you two have fun with that. I got my own shit to worry about.” Turning on her heel, she gave a small wave as she made her way to her own work space. “I’ll be over here. Don’t need me.” 

He nodded, turning his attention back to Corvo. “Alright, come sit down then.”

It was only when he was almost ready to actually start that Corvo spoke up again. “Hey, Oswald.”

“Hm?” He stopped what he was doing to look up at the man. _Second thoughts?_ That had happened before. Too many times. 

He hesitated a bit but finally asked, “Why is there a sexy hotdog on the wall?” He pointed a finger over towards Jasper’s area- where Oswald had hung the atrocity to God. 

“Because I tattooed it on someone’s chest,” he told Corvo, looking back at the drawing with him. While strange, he did remember it fondly. Jasper, being the pinup fan that she was, had complained about it nonstop, but eventually just conceded by drawing something even worse.

“Uh, why?”

“I stopped asking questions like that years ago,” he said. “Trust me. You don’t wanna know with things like that. I just felt lucky they didn’t want it on their ass.”

Laughing lightly, Corvo asked, “Do you do a lot of ass tattoos?” 

“You’d be surprised.” Oswald shook his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [If anyone was wondering what a sexy hotdog looks like lmao]()


	58. Jasper, Friday September 28th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wish: verb; feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable, want something that cannot or probably will not happen

She was still working on finding a good reference for the sort of flowers she had to draw when Oswald wandered over to her. “So, um, are we gonna talk about it?” He leaned back against her desk. 

_No._ “What?” She didn’t look up at him. 

“Us fucking.” He paused, frowning. “I assume that wasn’t some sort of weird dream I had, anyway.” 

“Oh,” she feigned forgetfulness. “That. I don’t know why we’d need to talk about it.” She came over to his apartment in lacy lingerie, planning on fucking him and he obliged- _what more was there to talk about?_ The thought of that last ghost of a touch she gave him before leaving came to mind. This, she shook her head at. That wasn’t anything. 

“Because you were weird that night. You said you had plans to do something bad.” He paused, a sudden realization hitting him. “Was I the bad thing?”

Jasper chuckled. “No. That wasn’t bad. Look, it may not turn out to be anything. And if it does, well, then there won’t be any hiding it.”

Oswald gave her a sideways look. “And you're not gonna let me in on the secret to the mysterious 'it’?”

“Nope.” She popped a sunflower seed in her mouth. “Besides, if this goes sideways, you'll want nothing to do with it. Trust me.” She spat the hull of the seed out into the trash can beside her desk with practiced ease and leaned back in her chair. She was going to find something to deal with the Fontaines and knowing them, it wasn’t going to be difficult. It was just going to take a little bit of time. 

Oswald hummed. “You’re sure?” He stared at her, watching. Trying to gauge a reaction. 

Jasper nodded. “I’m sure,” she said, already turning her attention back to her laptop. “Your boyfriend is hot by the way,” she told him smugly, knowing the comment would needle at him just a little. 

He laughed, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Yeah. You know what, next time we’ll just have to make it a threesome, don’t you think?” He laughed again, his breath tickling her neck. 

Jasper couldn’t help but laugh, a small blush actually rising to her cheeks. “You fucking wish,” she told him. “It was a one time thing, Ozzie. Don’t get your hopes up.” She had already decided about Oswald, anyway. She wouldn't be doing what she did again.


	59. Oswald, Friday September 28th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verge: 1 noun; an edge or border, 2 verb; approach (something) closely

They were doing it again. Which, while perhaps not the best of their decisions, he was starting to find the best ways to make her moan. Thrilling, but a dangerous game surely. The more he touched her the more he liked it. What was he doing anymore? He was fucking his coworker on Friday and had a date with two people on Monday. He hadn’t had this much attention paid to him in... ever. 

Jasper had rolled them over so she was on top. “The babe with the power then,” he chuckled, hands settling on her hips even as she began to rock them. She just rolled her eyes at him. She wasn’t much for talk during sex it seemed. That didn’t stop him though. 

“You-“ he began, but was promptly stopped, a finger being pressed to his lips. 

“Shhh,” she hushed him a bit harshly, closing her eyes and increasing the pace of things. The nails of her other hand dug into his shoulder as she came. He clenched his jaw, his own build up coming shortly behind hers. Biting her lip she leaned her forehead down to his, letting him finish before rolling off of him. 

They lay apart from each other, close, but not touching, each lost in their own thoughts. Him, wondering what on earth he was doing and why he was doing it. Her, unfathomable. She always seemed on the very verge of telling him something, yet no matter how long he waited she never said anything. Finally, Oswald decided to move.

“I’m going to shower,” he told her. 

“Good, you smell gross.”

Stopping, he leaned back down to her. “So do you.” It was true. Even with her perfume she still smelled like sweat and sex and him. 

“Yeah, it came off of you.” She smiled. 

Oswald snorted, finally getting up. “Well, feel free to jump in if you want.” 

She watched him go. “Shower? With you? _Disgusting._ ” 

He just rolled his eyes, continuing into the bathroom. She was like a child sometimes with her obstinate desire to have the last word. It made him wonder again, why were they still sleeping together?


	60. Jessamine, Friday September 28th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Query: verb; ask a question about something, especially in order to express one’s doubts about it or to check its validity or accuracy

Jessamine pursed her lips, examining the two soaps. Neither of them the kind of soap they were suppose to be getting for his new tattoo. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “We should call Oswald.” 

Corvo sighed, taking the two soaps from her so her hands were free. “Alright, but you do it. I left my phone in the car.”

“Why on earth would you do that?” She asked, even as she opened her phone to find Oswald’s number. He just shrugged at her. 

When someone answered the phone it was, surprisingly, a woman. “Hello?” She sounded tired, whoever she was. 

“Uh, hello,” Jessamine frowned. Maybe she had hit the wrong number. “I was trying to call Oswald.” 

“Oh,” the other woman said. “He’s in the shower. You want me to take a message or something?” She heard some scrambling on the other end of the line. “Let me grab something to write with off the nightstand.”

“Uh,” Jessamine struggled for a moment. The nightstand- was she in his bed? “Yeah, I guess. Tell him Jessamine needs to know what soap to buy for the tattoo.” The thought of a woman in Oswald’s bed needled at her a little though. He had never mentioned a girlfriend, but then, she had never asked either. 

“Well, I can tell you that,” the woman sounded happy enough to help now. “Get the antibacterial one. It’s orange,” she explained. “Use it at least once a day.”

Jessamine nodded, still frowning. Who was this woman answering Oswald’s phone while he was in the shower? “Okay. Thank you…” She hoped she would supply a name, but was instantly let down. 

“Sure,” she sounded terribly casual about the whole thing, as if Jessamine wasn’t still trying to figure out what was going on here. “Anything else?”

“No,” Jessamine answered immediately. _Unless you’re Oswald’s girlfriend._ “That’s all, thank you again.”

“Alright then. Goodbye.”

“Bye.” Jessamine hung up the phone feeling slightly dazed. Corvo cocked his head at her questionally. She shook her head. “Nothing. Just...someone else answered his phone.” She pointed at the soap in his hand. “Get the orange one.”


	61. Oswald, Saturday September 29th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthday: noun; the anniversary of the day on which a person was born, typically treated as an occasion for celebration and the giving of gifts

He woke up alone and with someone banging on his front door. For a second he wondered if Jasper had somehow locked herself out, but dismissed the thought quickly. If Jasper had already left she wasn’t coming back that quickly.

Dragging himself out of bed and pulling on some clothes, he eventually made his way to the door- the banging never ceasing the entire time. Finally, he pulled open the door...only to have a fist full of confetti thrown at him by Billie Lurk. “Happy birthday!” 

Oswald sighed. “Hi, Billie.” She was, at least, looking better than she had the other day when he saw her. No pajamas and no bags under her eyes. Maybe Daud had finally taken care of things. 

“It’s your birthday,” she grinned at him. 

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” He brushed some confetti off his shoulders and onto the floor with the rest of it (he’d have to sweep later). “I take it from the confetti that you have a plan for the day.”

“Of course.” She nodded. “Your best friend only turns twenty-eight once, you know.”

“Unless you get a new, younger best friend,” he pointed out. 

“Yeah, maybe this time I’ll find one who isn’t such a nerd. Or doesn’t steal things. Or doesn’t throw up on my bedroom floor. Or-“

“Okay. Okay, I get it,” Oswald said. “I’m a terrible best friend, just come inside so I can get dressed.” He motioned for her to come in. Closing the door behind her he added, “And you know I stopped stealing shit years ago.” Going into his bedroom he pulled his shirt off- he’d have to change it wherever it was they were going, it had too many holes in it and too many spots of paint that would never come off. 

Billie laughed, following him into his bedroom to sit on his bed as he got dressed. “Yeah, but you still got your lockpicks.”

He shrugged, pulling a clean shirt out of his closet. “Well, I wasn’t going to throw them away.” He had invested a lot of time and money into that shit. Maybe he had retired being a criminal, but that didn't mean the skills or the tools wouldn’t come in handy one day. 

Billie was quiet for a moment. Finally, she said, “Why do I smell perfume?” Oswald frowned, then realized Jasper had been wearing perfume the other night. 

He turned back to find her face buried in his pillow. “Please, don’t do that,” he said, taking it from her hands and throwing it back to the top of the bed. “And it’s not perfume, it’s just soap,” he lied. 

“You bought lavender body wash?” Billie asked. 

“They were out of the one I like.”

Billie stared at him. She didn’t believe him for a second, he could tell. “Righttt,” she drawled, obviously deciding to move on with things despite this. “Well, anyway, since you're doing the whole all-black thing today,” she waved a hand at the black shirt he had put on and the black jeans in his hand, “I’m gonna go ahead and give you your present.”

“Should I be afraid?” Oswald asked pulling off his pajamas pants. “I feel like I should be afraid.” He had told her last year if she spent a lot of money on him one more time he was gonna dismantle her motorcycle. She probably got him something like a spider in a jar or some shit this year. 

All things considered it was a pleasant surprise when she pulled from her jacket pocket a small box. Pulling on his jeans he pursed his lips in consideration. It was about the size of a small jewelry box. He was going to have to dismantle her motorcycle if it was what it looked like it was. “If this is a proposal, I accept,” he joked, taking it from her when she held it out to him. 

She snorted. “Like anyone would marry your crazy ass. Just open it.” 

“Fine. Fine,” he waved her away. Opening the box he saw the only thing sitting on the little cushion was a contact lense container. He frowned, holding it up. “I don’t wear contacts.”

Billie sighed dramatically. “Open it, dipshit. They’re black.”

“Oh.” He opened it and found that they were in fact solid black contacts. “Well, that’s pretty weird.” He had never worn contacts before; he wasn’t sure they would get much use, but still, an interesting gift. 

“So are you,” Billie laughed. “Anyways, that’s the joke gift. I got you a notebook too, but I left it at home.”

He smiled, snapping the box closed and handing it back to her. “Well, thank you for both, Billie. These are great.”

“Love you, Outsider,” she half sang at him, smiling. 

“Love you too...Even though you call me Outsider,” he added. 

Billie just snorted, standing up. “Come on then. We have things to do and people to see. And don’t say you can’t-“ she put an arm over his shoulders beginning to pull him towards the front door, “I already called Jasper, she’s gonna cover for you all day.”

Oswald sighed. “You think of everything, huh?”

“Of course.”


	62. Jasper Saturday September 29th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worry: verb; give way to anxiety or unease, allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles

_This is stupid. This is stupid. This is so stupid._ Jasper was not the kind to buy her coworkers birthday presents. Nor was she the kind to buy a fuckbuddy a birthday present. And she refused to call Oswald anything other than those two things. Despite all this- here she was, wandering around the mall wondering what sort of gift was appropriate to give him. 

It was even more stupid when you considered she had had to close the shop so she could come wander around the mall like an idiot. She knew she couldn’t do this much longer, she had an appointment in an hour and a half. 

Just as she walked into some clothing store her phone rang. Ms. Howell. _Good._ She had been meaning to talk to her anyways. “Hello, Ms. Howell,” she answered the call.

“Hello, dear,” Ms. Howell answered pleasantly. “I was just calling about the kids. I think Monday is going to be the next time we’ll be able to meet up for you to see them.”

“Okay,” Jasper said, roving about the store as she listened. _Maybe he could use some more clothes?_ “Well, I needed to talk to you soon anyways. It’s about the guardianship thing, but I think it’ll be easier to explain face to face.” She moved towards some black button up shirts hanging on a wall. He didn’t wear colors, that much she knew. 

Ms. Howell sighed, sounding very tired. “Do I need to be worried about this, Jasper?” 

“No,” Jasper lied. Her plan was shaky at best, but once she talked it through with Ms. Howell later it should be in better shape at least. “Just worry about Jade and Mica. They’re all that’s important here.” That much was true. Between Jade already getting yelled at for her grades and Mica starting to notice boys- they were all she was truly concerned about. 

Humming, Ms. Howell agreed, but, ever Jasper’s mother hen, she added, “You’re important too, Jasper. I don’t want you getting hurt over this.” 

Jasper softened slightly at the sentiment, even if she didn’t believe it to be true. “I’ll be fine.” _What more could the Fontaines do to her anyway? Nothing._ Ms. Howell had been taking care of her her whole life, but it never ceased to make her chest hurt just a bit at how kindly she treated her. “I’m always fine,” Jasper told her. 

“I know you are, but I’m still going to worry.” Ms. Howell gave a small huff. “I have to go, dearie, but I’ll see you next week.”

“Okay. Bye,” she told her, clicking end call on her phone. Looking back at the shirts, she got back to what she was doing. Just as she reached up to take one of the black shirts down she spotted something even better. It was the same shirt...but this one was dark blue and it had little whales on it. 

She smirked picking it up. He would never actually wear it, as it wasn’t black, but he was getting it anyway.


	63. Jessamine, Sunday September 30th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Appeal: verb; be attractive or interesting

“So, who was she?” Jessamine asked him, looking up at him. Oswald was standing on a ladder, trying to get the tailfin of the whale just right. He had told her earlier that it was the last thing he needed to do before he was done with it. 

“Who was who?” he asked absently, seeming very focused on his painting. 

“The woman,” Jessamine tried to stay casual. “The one that picked up your phone the other day. Friday.”

The ladder wobbled and Jessamine went to steady it. Oswald swore quietly. “I’ll have to paint over that.” He sighed as he climbed down the ladder. “That was Jasper,” he explained. “She was over. For some reason.”

Jessamine quirked an eyebrow at him. “For some reason?” _That sounded strange to say the least._

He shrugged helplessly. “I can’t fathom that woman half the time, Jessamine. She’s Jasper.” He shrugged again. “She’s been weird lately, even for her, but I haven’t asked about it.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t think she wants me to.”

“Why do you think that?” Jessamine asked, following him the few feet to his supplies as he went to snag a paper towel. 

“She doesn’t tell anybody anything as a rule, and she never shows up at anybody’s place. I have never seen that woman be anything but smug or angry. Well that, and a little bit terrifying, if I’m honest, but that’s all,” he said. “If anything’s wrong she doesn’t want to talk about it with me that’s for sure.”

Jessamine frowned. “So why was she there?” _They must have a strange relationship if this was what Oswald considered normal._ “If she didn’t want to talk why come over?”

Oswald sighed, climbing back up his ladder. “She said she was lonely. So, I guess she just wanted someone to be around.” He sighed again, looking down at her. “She’s Jasper though, so I really can’t say for sure why she does anything.” 

“Jasper sounds very strange.”

Oswald nodded. “It’s one of her appeals. Like me,” he smiled. 

Jessamine shook her head. “You’re not _that_ strange, Oswald. Besides, we like strange, or we wouldn’t have invited you to be our date tomorrow.” She already had nervous butterflies thinking about it, despite her reassuring words. Taking him to a bar to listen to them play music was one thing. Taking him to a charity event where he would have to meet her father was another. One Jessamine hadn’t considered when inviting him and she wasn’t sure either of them were prepared for it, but it was too late to back out now. 

Oswald snorted. “I bet you do,” he smirked. 

She smacked him lightly on the foot, grinning. “Oswald Black, how dare you accuse me of such.”

“I didn’t accuse you of anything, but the fact that you thought…”

Jessamine smacked his foot again. “You're as bad as Corvo,” she laughed.


	64. Corvo, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remind: verb; cause (someone) to remember someone or something

Emily watched him from where sat on the bathroom counter, obviously waiting to see if he could remember how to tie a bow tie. He could not. Finally, he sighed at himself in the mirror, “Please, go get your mother.” He knew, she was still getting dressed, but he needed her. His daughter just giggled at him. “Come on now, don’t laugh at your old man. I’m strugglin’ here.” Corvo pulled her off the counter and set her feet on the floor. “Tell her _this,_ ” he handed her the tie, “will need tying.” 

“Alright,” Emily agreed easily, running off to her parents’ bedroom. 

He considered shaving for a moment, looking at himself in the mirror, but finally shook his head. Wasn’t worth the trouble. He had just trimmed it day before yesterday anyway. 

Just then, Jessamine came swishing in, the sound of her dress announcing her before she made it inside the bathroom. Emily trailed behind a bit away, looking a bit afraid of her mother’s large dress. If Corvo were honest, so was he; it would be a terrible fate to accidentally step on the bottom of it that dragged the floor. Despite the minor fear it invoked, she looked stunning in it. Black had always been a good look on her. 

Jessamine pulled the tie over his neck. “You really couldn’t tie this?” She asked. “After all the times I’ve showed you?”

Corvo shrugged sheepishly. “Apparently not.” Giving her a small apologetic peck on the lips, he said, “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine, honey. Besides, I wanted to see your chest today anyway.” Undoing the buttons of his shirt she opened it just enough to see the new tattoo. Emily peaked around her to get a glimpse too. “Oh, much better,” Jessamine murmured, gently running a finger over the rough skin. 

“Oz said it might be rough like that for a bit, but it would go away,” Corvo said. Looking down at himself he was pleased at what he had, though. The colors were vibrant and the image itself was truly unique. 

Jessamine nodded, buttoning his shirt back up for him. “I have to call him in a few minutes actually. I forgot to tell him what time we were picking him up, but hopefully he’ll still have enough time to get ready.” 

“Who’s Oz?” Emily asked.

“Oswald,” Corvo said, trying to hold still as Jessamine began tying his bowtie for him. “You remember him, right? Slept on the couch the other night?”

A look of dawning passed over Emily’s face. “Oh. Yeah. Oswald.” She nodded, as if considering something very serious. 

He smiled, shaking his head at his daughter. She was so serious sometimes. Jessamine always said she got it from him. Stepping back once Jessamine was done with his tie, he gave Jessamine another kiss, “Thank you, darling.” 

She opened her mouth to reply just as someone knocked on the front door. She pursed her lips for a moment. “That’s probably Calista. Would you go get it? I still have to do my hair and makeup.”

“Sure,” Corvo said, carefully stepping around her dress. “We can do that.” He grabbed Emily’s hand. “Right?”

Emily nodded seriously, looking very much like mother did sometimes. “We got this, Mom.” She grinned. 

Jessamine laughed lightly. “Alright, you two. Go see Calista.” She made a small kiss sound at the both of them, as a goodbye. “I’ll be there in a minute.”


	65. Oswald, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reassurance: noun; the action of removing someone’s doubts or fears

He had just gotten of the phone when Jasper called him. Oswald frowned. “What’s do you want?” He asked, answering it. 

“Uh.” Jasper didn’t say anything for a moment. “Wrong number,” she finally said and hung up without another word. 

He debated for a moment, standing in his bathroom half dressed if he should call her back. Did he even have the time to get her to actually talk to him? Probably not. Even so, he sighed and redialed her number. It rang for a long time. He had just been about to hang up when she answered. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Oswald said, sitting down. This was going to be a long conversation. “What’s up, Jasper?” He didn’t mention her hanging up on him the first time. 

She was quiet for a very long time. “Nothing.” The single word was very quiet and held very little weight. He didn’t believe her. 

“Well, you wanna hear what I’m doing?” He asked. Jasper made only a small sound of acknowledgement. “I’m getting ready to go on a date. With the two...you know...the ones I told you about before.”

Her laugh was quiet, too- hollow. “Going through with that, huh?”

Oswald hummed, pulling on his shirt. His stomach was hurting from the nerves actually, but hopefully that would stop soon. He looked at the tie still laid on the bathroom sink. “Something like that. Do you know how to tie a tie?” He asked. Her family was rich, she must have learned at some point the fancy art of tying ties. 

“Yeah, but not over the phone.” He could practically feel her rolling her eyes at him. “Get Jessamine to do it when you see her. She’ll know.”

That seemed like a good idea actually. He stuffed the tie into his pocket. They had picked it out when Jessamine bought him the suit he was wearing now. He hadn’t mentioned at the time he didn’t know how to actually tie one. “What are you doing?” Oswald asked. 

“Trying to decide something.”

He hummed. “Do you want advice?” There was very little he had to offer he if he were honest, but he could always give it a shot. 

“No.”

_Well, alright, then._ “Do you want….reassurance?” That was usually what Billie asked him. ‘Advice or reassurance?’ Jasper didn’t say anything then. Oswald shrugged to himself as he finished getting dressed. “I’m not very good at it, but I can try.”

“Okay,” she told him slowly. 

“Well, I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever you’re trying to do, Jasper, I know you can handle it. You’ve always been able to handle anything.” A pause. “Plus, even if you don’t- you still got me around. And you know what an endless supply of self- reassurance it is to see me fucking shit up on a daily basis.” He laughed softly. 

They were both quiet for a long moment. “Thank you, Oswald.” And she hung up again. 

It was then Jessamine chose to knock on his door. He sighed, looking down at his phone. Jasper- Queen of being mysterious. Oswald shook his head, going to answer the door. Maybe things would settle down now.


	66. Corvo, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gruff: adjective; abrupt or taciturn in manner

Euhorn was as gruff as ever when the three of them greeted the man. “And this is Oswald. Our date,” Jessamine introduced him to her father. 

Euhorn stared at Oswald, who had just turned very pale. “Hello,” Oswald nodded to him, sticking out his hand to shake. 

“Yes,” he said, retracting his own hand and pointedly ignoring Oswald. “Hello there.” He shook his head at them, mumbling something about sitting down before leaving them all standing there. 

“Are you okay, Oswald?” Jessamine asked when he had gone, looking concerned. 

He nodded vigorously. “Yeah. Absolutely.” Despite his word he grabbed his side again, looking pained. “I think I’m gonna go try and find something to drink though.” 

And without another word he dashed off. 

Corvo frowned at Jessamine. “That was weird.”

“I hope he’s okay,” she worried aloud. 

She had the edge of one of her nails halfway in her mouth when he grabbed her hand, brining it over to kiss it. “It’ll all be okay.” Hopefully, anyway.


	67. Oswald, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise: noun; an unexpected or astonishing event, fact, or thing

He did not go to look for a drink. He didn’t even make it to the bathroom, instead having to dash through the decorative bushes and throw up in one of the potted trees on the other side of them. 

After he had coughed and sputtered enough, he sat down in the grass exhausted. Briefly, he wondered if dying was going to be worth his date. 

“Oswald?” A familiar voice said, a shadow stepping into view then. 

He frowned. “Jasper?” She was dressed up as much as anyone else there. Maybe moreso. Her dress was a deep purple and shimmered everytime she moved, her hair sat done up in intricate ways he couldn’t understand on top of her head. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Of all the people he could have encountered in these bushes, she would have been his last guess. Right next to Bigfoot and Mothman. 

She stared at him. “Well, what the fuck are you doing here?”

“I mean...is it not obvious?” He looked pointedly at the pot he had just thrown up into. “And anyways I asked first.”

“I have...business here.” 

Oswald raised an eyebrow. “In the bushes?” 

Jasper snorted, rolling her eyes at him. Both actions very unladylike for what she looked like now. “Yeah, they’re our new clients. This is Harold and Steve. They want couples tattoos.”

“Is Steve the one I just threw up on?”

She sighed, holding a hand to her face. “Seriously, what are you doing here, Oswald?” She didn’t sound annoyed anymore so much as very tired. 

“My date isn’t going so well. I think I’m dying.” It felt like it anyways. Something was definitely wrong and he had been sick enough before to know it wasn’t nerves. 

“You’re not dying,” she shook her head, bending down and putting a hand on his forehead. “It’s probably just a cold or something. You have a fever.* You’ll be fine.” She stood back up. “Besides, if I have to do this then so do you. Get up.”

“No, sorry.” He shrugged, leaning back against the tree that must have been Harold. “See, I live here now. ‘Cause if I throw up on my dates I’m going to hurl myself into the sun.” He patted the grass beside him. “You’re welcome to join me though.”

She made a face at him. “Don’t be a wuss, Ozzie.”

“Me? What about you? You’re hiding in the bushes!” There really wasn’t a lot of room for judgement here. 

“I’m not _hiding_. I’m just...avoiding confrontation.” She peeked around some of the bushes. “Pretty sure that would be the only way to make this night worse.”

“Look at it this way, you could be dying- like me.” He sighed tiredly. Dying or not he did need to get back to Corvo and Jessamine. Pushing himself up from the ground, he asked, “Come on, you can avoid confrontation with us.” He offered his arm, in invitation. 

Jasper stared at him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “You want me to tag along on your threesome?” 

“You wanna sit in the bushes all night?” He asked.

She made a small noise of disgust, finally putting a hand on his arm. “Whatever, just don’t throw up in my direction.”

“No promises.”


	68. Jasper, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Playful: adjective; fond of games and amusement, lighthearted

Coincidentally, the Kaldwins and their guests were to be seated with the Fontaines. Considering the empty seats, Jasper suspected the Fontaine's hadn't arrived yet. Considering their still-empty seats, Jasper figured they hadn’t found out yet. She couldn’t say she was sad about the fact. 

Seated between Jessamine and her mother, Jasper wondered exactly how bad this night was going to go. Jessamine was quick to chat with her though, almost completely turning her back on her father. “So, you work with Oswald, huh?” They has all already made introductions and such when Oswald brought her out of the bushes, Jessamine realizing that she was in fact the woman she had spoken to on the phone apparently. 

“Yeah, I do.” She nodded. “That or people pay me to be a personal annoyance to him.” She winked playfully. She could see why Oswald liked her now. She was very nice and certainly a sight to look at. 

Jessamine smiled brilliantly. “Well, he didn't mention anything about you being here.”

Jasper made a see-saw motion with her hand. “I might've crashed the party, just a little bit. Dates need chaperones, right?” she asked, smirking.

Jessamine blushed, color rising beautifully to her cheeks. “I suppose so. Who put you up to it?”

“Billie, of course,” Jasper smiled.

Oswald, a few places down, rolled his eyes. He still looked pale, but at least he wasn't puking in the bushes. That at least was a small comfort. She had begun to worry about him earlier. “Are you done harassing Jessamine?” he asked.

Jasper hummed, thinking. “I mean, I could be. But again, I'm a professional nuisance; gotta make sure I can bother anybody.”

The chair on her other side was pulled out and occupied quickly. _Oh boy. Here it comes._ Jasper turned to face the newly-filled seat, ignoring the hammer of her heartbeat. “Hello, Mother.”

Mrs. Fontaine screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm wrecking this evening already and loving every minute of it Ruining this banquet for the mildly inspiring and...


	69. Corvo, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Argument: noun; an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one

Immediately, Mr. Fontaine was on the attack. “You!” he hissed, his heavy eyebrows knitting together over dark brown eyes.

“Me,” she grinned, standing up. “I wanted to talk to you, Father, I'm a tad worried about my brother and sister,” she began, before Fontaine cut her off.

“I told you before, you will have no contact with this family!” He howled.

Jessamine looked away from the spectacle beside her to see her own father glaring daggers at her. “Jessamine, why did you bring that woman here? She wasn't on the guest list, and now here she is, agitating Mr. Fontaine! You _know_ we had hoped to work with him—”

Jasper scoffed. “I just came to have a civil discussion with my dear ol’ dad—”

“You're no daughter of mine, strumpet!” Fontaine raged on. Through it all, his wife sagged in her chair, looking faint and weak, as if seeing her husband and her disowned child argue was too much for her. For an absurd moment, Corvo thought about giving the woman a tissue or handkerchief to dab at the tears starting to cloud her eyes. 

Before he could think much more about the Fontaines, Jessamine’s father pulled her attention back. “And who the hell is this?” he demanded, gesturing at Oswald. “You bring him here out of nowhere and say he’s your date? 

Oswald wasn’t looking so good. “Are you okay?” Corvo asked. “You look a little sick.”

Oswald opened his mouth to answer but was promptly interrupted by two different things happening. Jessamine shouting, “I don’t have to tell you anything and neither does Corvo,” at her father. And Jasper slamming her hand on the table hard enough to rattle the silverware as she hissed over at her father. 

The three of them, Oswald, himself, and Euhorn’s date, could only watch in stunned silence as the two parties both began to argue. 

Jasper had moved closer to her parents, her hand in the back of her mother’s chair. “They need someone who actually loves them and I don’t mean a nanny! You two certainly don't give a shit beyond your precious legacy!” she yelled. 

Jessamine's father, meanwhile was busy delivering his usual speech about Jessamine needing to uphold their own legacy and how she was always acting so indecently just to embarrass him. Corvo considered butting in, but it seemed Jessamine had it handled when she stood and said, “If you think I’m so indecent then why do you even need me?”

Oswald grabbed his thigh, taking his attention back. “I think we need to go,” he said quietly, fingers tight on his leg. 

“What? Why?” Corvo frowned. “This? They’ll settle down, don’t worry.” He our a hand over Oswald’s. 

Just then, Mr. Fontaine stood up as well, leaning over his daughter and his wife. “If you think, even for a second, that we would ever let them live with a filthy whore like you—“

Oswald moved to get up, trying to get past Mr. Fontaine only to end up stopping and throwing up on his shoes. Everyone stopped. Shocked. Even people at other tables had stopped to stare now. Jasper burst out laughing, the sound extraordinary loud now. “I think I need to go to the hospital,” Oswald mumbled.


	70. Corvo, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special: adjective; better, greater, or otherwise different from what is usual

“You’re sure you don’t need me to come?” Jessamine asked, looking between the both of them as they headed towards the car. 

Oswald nodded, though he was holding on to Corvo’s arm pretty tightly. “It’s fine, Jess. Do whatever you need to do here. It’s probably nothing anything.”

She didn’t look convinced but nodded. “Okay.” She leaned down to kiss him on top of the head and then up on her toes to kiss Corvo on the cheek. “Be safe. Let me know how things go.” She waved bye to them before heading back towards the party. 

They had just turned to go when Jasper caught up to them, toting not one, but two bottles of champagne. “Think I can catch a ride with you two?” She asked. 

“To the hospital?” Oswald made a face at her. 

She shrugged. “You can take me home afterwards.” She looked pointedly at Corvo. Obviously he was to be the one in charge of that one. “Besides, I got champagne.” She shook the two bottles at them as they approached the car. 

“From where?” Corvo asked, opening the car door for Oswald. Kind as their host was, Corvo somehow didn’t believe they were giving away bottles of champagne. 

She cracked a smile. “Stole ‘em.”

Oswald snorted, shaking his head. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s just go.” He gestured for the both of them to get in the car, pulling his door shut. 

Corvo smiled grimly over at Jasper, whose expression had turned significantly more grim once Oswald had shut his door. Opening the door for her as well he said, “Hope you don’t mind the backseat.”

She rolled her eyes. “Like he said, let’s just go.” 

And go they did. With Jasper giving directions from the backseat all the while. Oswald eventually signed, obviously annoyed. He snapped his fingers to get her to be quiet so he could speak. “Hey, if we could stop the backseat driving for a second- I need you one of you guys to tell the nurses or whoever gets to me first if I pass out that I’m allergic to penicillin and I have a pacemaker.”

Jasper didn’t say anything for a moment. Corvo checked on her in the mirror. She had her arms wrapped around herself, frowning deeply as she stared at the back of Oswald’s head. _Strange._

“‘Course, Oz,” he told him, reaching a hand over to rest on his leg. Oswald winced, but nodded, putting the hand that wasn’t holding his side over Corvo’s. 

“How come _he_ gets to call you ‘Oz’?” Jasper mumbled from the backseat, looking intently out the window now. 

Oswald just shrugged, unaware of her sour expression. “I don’t know, Jasper. Maybe he’s special.”

Jasper snorted.


	71. Corvo, Monday October 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interested: adjective; 1 showing curiosity or concern about something or someone, having a feeling of interest 2 having an interest or involvement, not impartial or disinterested

Jasper had cracked open one of the bottles of champagne while they waited for Oswald to talk to a doctor. She offered the bottle to Corvo. “No, thanks,” he waved her away. He would probably still have to drive home tonight. 

She shrugged, taking another drink. “So,” she said. “Are you like Oswald’s boyfriend now?” 

Corvo shrugged. _Am I? Probably not…Not yet, anyway._ “Let’s just say I’m an interested party.” It wasn’t an untrue statement certainly. She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Like you,” he added.

Her fingers tightened around the bottle as she looked away from him. “Excuse me?” she said, keeping her tone quietly neutral. 

He smiled, taking the champagne from her, mostly fearing she might break it. Or drop it. One way or the other, he didn’t want to be cleaning up glass. “I like to think I don’t miss much, Miss Crowe.” He set the bottle on floor next to their feet. “You like him. Can’t say I blame you.” He shrugged. “He’s a catch, what can you do?”

Jasper snorted, shaking her head at him. “We work together. That’s all.”

“Sure,” Corvo agreed easily. “You work together. Doesn’t mean there isn’t something else there. Trust me, I know.” Jessamine was sort of his boss- it wasn’t exactly unknown territory. 

Jasper stood up, grabbing her bottle of champagne as she went. “You don’t know anything at all, Attano.” She moved to leave, but stopped suddenly. A sigh. “Tell Oswald I’ll cover for him tomorrow, alright? I’m going home.” She finally looked at him and he noticed then how poignant her brown eyes seemed. 

“Okay,” Corvo nodded. “Anything else I should tell him?” He asked lightly. She obviously was not ready to admit anything just yet. 

She actually looked thoughtful for a moment. Finally, taking one more swig from her bottle, she said, “Tell him I said you’re a keeper. And I'm a little sorry I crashed the party. But only a little bit.” And with that, she turned around and walked out the sliding glass doors, throwing the bottle in a trashcan as she passed it by.


	72. Oswald, Tuesday October 2nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wake: verb; emerge or cause to emerge from a state of sleep

He was no longer a complete idiot... he was missing his appendix now. That was his first thought upon waking up. His second was that someone was holding his hand. Corvo. He was asleep, his head set against Oswald’s hip. Squeezing his hand, Oswald mumbled, “You’re drooling on me, Corvo.” His voice was still very hoarse so he didn’t wake him, but that was alright. He wanted to go back to sleep anyway. 

No doubt he would get at least a couple scoldings from all the doctors and nurses around the hospital that knew him. Dr. Hypatia would make sure of it, actually. That woman had been scolding him his entire life- she wouldn’t miss an opportunity now. 

When he woke again, it was daylight. And Corvo was still there. He had few shocks as big as that in his life- and people have literally had to restart his heart before. His head was rested on the bed beside Oswald, one hand laid atop his leg and the other holding his phone. He almost wanted to wake him. Almost. But he looked too peaceful to bother. 

Oswald settled on just watching him, waiting for him to wake on his own. No doubt a nurse would come in soon to check on him anyway.


	73. Corvo, Wednesday October 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Survive: verb; continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship

“Who knew getting an organ removed could make you so tired,” Oswald said, as they trudged into his apartment building. He had had to, ironically, don his suit again to go home since there were the clothes he came to the hospital in. It felt a little odd. Like the date still hadn’t ended. 

Corvo held the door open for him. “I imagine you would- considering how much you end up in the hospital.” He really did look tired, but then- he had every right to be. 

Oswald snorted. “I’ve never lost anything important before,” he said. “Just some dignity on occasion.” He stopped when he got to the stairs, just standing and staring, like climbing the stairs today was the worst thing the world had ever asked of him. 

“Like when you get hit by cars?” Corvo asked, coming to stand with him. 

“Like when I get hit by cars, yes.”

“You want me to carry you?” It was perfectly feasible. Oswald probably didn’t weigh much anyway. 

“Heh,” Oswald shook his head, laughing slightly. “No, I think I’ll make it.” Which he did. Slowly but surely, Corvo right behind him. “Oh, great,” he said when they reached the top and began approaching his apartment. “The neighbors are at it again.”

“At what?” Corvo asked, frowning. 

Oswald held up a finger, signaling for him to wait. He only had to wait a moment before the sound of a woman shrieking unintelligible obsentities filled the air. “That,” Oswald said, pulling his keys from his pocket. “There’s the fighting. Then the obnoxiously loud sex. Then if I’m lucky, the cat will start meowing the entire rest of the night.”

Corvo smiled. “Well, you know, you could always come sleep on our couch again.”

Oswald smirked opening his door. “No, I couldn’t. Your couch is upstairs.” He stopped there in the doorway. “Actually, where are you guys even sitting now? That can’t be convenient.”

“We’re sitting on pillows,” Corvo explained. “But not for much longer. Soon as we can get the beds up there we’re out.” A day he longed for. He was tired of the limbo of living between the two spaces. It was time to finally be moved in. 

Oswald nodded. Still leaning against the doorframe he asked, “You wanna come in? I probably have tea or something.” He gave him a small shrug, looking down at his feet. 

A tempting offer. Truly. Unfortunately, he had to turn him down. He had been away from home enough and he wanted to see Jessamine and Emily besides. “I can’t,” he said. “But thank you.”

Oswald smiled slightly, looking tired but sincere. “No, thank you. I appreciate you not letting me die at the worst dinner ever.”

He grinned. “It wasn’t that bad.” For what it was anyway, it really hadn’t been that bad. Though what it was was two arguments, appendicitis, and a terrible incident in Mr. Fontaine’s shoes. 

Another shriek from the apartment next door sounded, but Oswald just rolled his eyes, continuing. “I threw up in a man’s shoes, Corvo.” Despite his words, Oswald did look very amused. 

“He was an asshole.” That much had been obvious. “He deserved it.” Something else that was painfully obvious even from the few minutes Corvo had known him. 

Oswald nodded solemnly. “You’re right and Jasper didn’t deserve any of what he said to her…Probably should have said something myself actually.”

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Corvo said, “It’s okay, Oz.” He leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips. “Everything will be just fine. Now go rest. Doctors orders, remember?” Dr. Hypatia has only said so about a thousand times before they left.

“Yeah, yeah,” Oswald waved him away, finally turning and going into his apartment. “Goodbye, Corvo.”

“Goodbye, Oswald.”


	74. Jasper, Wednesday October 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rock: 1 noun; a stone of any size, especially one small enough to be picked up and used as a projectile, 2 verb; cause great shock or distress to (someone or something), especially as to weaken or destabilize them

“Alright, bye.” Jasper hung up the phone. Oswald had too many goddamn clients, she had decided. This decision had been made sometime between the man telling her about the rat Oswald had drawn for him, to be tattooed on the back of his head apparently, and the woman who was getting her husbands name done on her hip, but wanted to know if he would pierce her nipples the same day. ‘No, he doesn’t do that.’ ‘Yes, she’s sure.’ ‘No, she doesn’t do them either.’

She sighed, putting her head down on Oswald’s desk. _He had better come back soon._ Dealing with his people was a full time job and a half. Not to mention she still had her own clients to deal with today. Sitting up, she opened up her own phone. Only one more call to make.

Pressing Ms. Howell’s number she let it ring as she pilfered through Oswald’s desk. _He sure does have a lot of junk._ She smiled though, picking up Mark from where he sat on Oswald’s lamp. Mark was Oswald’s pet rock. According to Billie, he had had it at least since they had met (which was when they were both kids in the hospital) and he was Oswald’s only friend besides her at the time. Mark wasn’t even a pretty rock, he was grey and oddly shaped and Oswald had glued googly eyes to him at some point. She had made fun of him for ages for keeping him around, but now she couldn’t help but feel a little fondness for the proclaimed pet- _At least someone had been keeping him company._

Finally, Ms. Howell picked up. “Hello?”

“Hi,” Jasper greeted her old nanny, pulling Mark to her chest instead of setting it down. “I need to talk to you.”

“Jasper, you know I heard what happened.”

_No surprise there._ That probably meant Mica and Jade had heard too, though. Damn. She sighed. “Yeah, well it’s about that. I don’t want to do it over the phone though. We need to meet up soon. I have another plan.”


	75. Oswald Thursday October 4th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visit: verb; go to see and spend time with (someone) socially

He did not feel like moving, much less getting up when Jessamine knocked on his door. After a few minutes he finally just yelled for her to come in. It probably wasn’t locked; at least he didn’t remember locking it after shuffling out to get his mail that morning. Which, the mail itself, had been almost as unpleasant as actually having to go get it. In hindsight, it really hadn’t been worth it. 

She poked her head in rather shyly, as though he hadn’t invited her over. “I brought you soup,” Jessamine said, perking up upon seeing him. “And Emily made you a ‘Get Well’ card.” She finally stepped into the apartment fully, but still looked hesitant. 

Oswald pulled his legs up and patted the couch. “You can sit.” He pulled some of his blanket out of the way as well to make room for her. “I wouldn’t have asked you to come if I didn’t wanna see you.”

Jessamine sat down, putting a hand on his now drawn up knees. “I know,” she sighed. “I’m just worried you wanted to tell me something bad...Is it something bad?” 

He shook his head. “No. Not at all.” It wasn’t anything bad at all. Except maybe on his own part. The word _‘needy’_ came to mind. He had just wanted to see her really. Oswald sighed. “I did want to apologize for the end of our last date though.” Smiling grimly at her from where he laid, he hoped he looked as apologetic as he felt. Throwing up in someone shoes probably wasn’t a good end of an evening for anyone involved in it. 

Jessamine smiled gently, her hand coming to grip his. “You have nothing to be sorry about, Oswald.” She chuckled. “I happen to know from past dealings that Mr. Fontaine deserved everything that happened that night and more.” He smiled. Of that, he felt certain. Nonetheless- he had kind of brought the party to a rather abrupt end. “Speaking of—“ Jessamine said, finally settling down beside him. “Tell me more about this Jasper. She seems fascinating.”

Oswald hummed. “Well...She’s an orphan like me,” he said slowly, which made Jessamine frown (apparently this was new information to her), but he continued, “But she was adopted— unlike me— by the Fontaine’s obviously. I don’t know the details but apparently they disowned her.”

“That explains some things,” Jessamine murmured. 

He nodded. “Besides that I don’t know what they were arguing about exactly.” He shrugged. “She doesn’t tell me much.”

Jessamine hummed. “Interesting. I wonder if my father knows anything about all that.” There was a long pause, both of them quiet for a while as they laid there together. “Can I ask you a question?” Jessamine asked, not looking at him now. 

“Sure.”

“Is Jasper your girlfriend?”

_What an excellent question._ He sighed. _Is she? Probably not._ He doubted she would ever want to be that serious. Not with him anyway. “She is...not my girlfriend, sorta like how you’re not quite my girlfriend.” Jessamine looked back at him finally, questioningly. “It’s not quite that serious,” he said. “Not yet.” He let out a short laugh. “You're closer to my girlfriend than she is, probably. At least you want to be.”

“She doesn’t?” Jessamine cocked her head to the side slightly. “Then…”

“We’re more like sex friends,” he finally explained, rather crassly too. Enough so that Jessamine looked slightly shocked. He shook his head. “It’s a new development,” he put a hand over his eyes. _When did my life get so complicated?_ “It just sort of happened.” He sighed, a wave of guilt coming over him suddenly. “I can...you know...stop if it bothers you. At the time we just hadn’t quite...gotten to that point of-“

“It’s okay,” Jessamine stopped him. “It’s okay, Oswald.”

“Really?” He felt kinda dubious. The guilt was definitely making it harder to believe her. 

Jessamine shrugged. “You’re right. We haven’t really...gotten to that point yet. And you’ve known her a long time and she obviously likes you and…” She shrugged again. “And I mean, hell, it’s not like I don’t get it. I’ve got Corvo and now you and I mean she’s very pretty…” She trailed off. 

“You're sure?” Oswald felt obligated to ask again. 

She sighed, nodding. “Yeah, Oswald. I’m sure. I promise. I think Corvo will feel the same.”

A pause. “You think she likes me?” He asked. 

Jessamine laughed. “Oh, sweetie.”


	76. Jasper, Thursday October 4th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bastard: noun; a person born of parents not married to each other

“I want to blackmail them,” Jasper said, and though she kept her voice down, it still sounded like a foghorn to her, despite the usual cafe’s lunch rush.

Ms. Howell knit her brows together as her lips took a slight downturn.

Jasper imagined this would be what disappointing one’s mother feels like. But she pressed on. “Look, you know as well as I do that those fu— _people_ are bad parents and should never have brought those two into the world. Let alone kidnapped me from… wherever the hell it was. They’re bad parents, and they’re bad people.” She curled her lip. “And if they ever figure out about Mica, then it’ll be what happened with me all over again. And they’ll triple down on Jade. I can’t even _imagine_ the money it’d take to afford a good enough lawyer for court. So I gotta convince them, somehow, to voluntarily lose custody.” Jasper leaned on the table, her chin in hand. “They got something big enough they want kept hidden, I know it. I’d say me, but… they already wrote me off. I guess what they get for ‘outsourcing’ their kids like they try business, huh?” She gave Ms. Howell a rueful smile that went unmatched.

Ms. Howell dropped her eyes to her coffee cup, steaming faintly on the table.

“Ms. Howell? What’s the matter?”

“You’re more right than you think you are, dear.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ms. Howell stole a quick look up at Jasper, a glance riddled with guilt. “You understand how he is, dear. How… _insistent_ his commands are. Not a soul was to tell you anything.”

Jasper’s eyes glinted with new interest. “And what didn’t my dear dad want me to know?”

“That he is your father.”

It was Jasper’s turn to knit her brow. “He didn’t want me to know… what family I was adopted into?”

Ms. Howell sighed. “He’s your blood father, Jasper.”

Jasper snorted. “Impossible. I look nothing like the man.”

“Which is exactly why he was able to pass you off as a proper adoption.”

Jasper laced her fingers together, eyes trained on her nanny. “You’re… saying I’m his bastard.”

Ms. Howell winced. “Illegitimate child, yes.”

“So what the fuck did he do to my mother?” Her voice took an icier tone. Ms. Howell shivered. In that moment, she did favor her father.

“By the time she was showing, it was too late for any… medical intervention—”

“Like an abortion—”

“And he wanted her sent away. Mrs. Fontaine suggested otherwise because it looked like there wasn’t going to be anyone to carry on the family name. So they adopted you, paid your mother for her service, and quietly retired her. I don’t know what happened to her after that, dear, I only know they gave her good references and severance pay.”

“And then pretended they adopted some poor Japanese kid. Like good fucking people. Was that even where she was from? My mother?”

“I recall her talking about North Korea...”

Jasper rested her head in her hands. “They had me learn Japanese for no _fucking_ reason.”

“Language, dear,” Ms. Howell murmured, reaching across the table to pat her arm. “Your mother would’ve been proud, I think. Getting away from that man.”

Jasper didn’t respond for a moment. “Nobody needs to be near that prick. Nobody. Especially not Jade or Mica. He kept records of his past employees? Pictures? Love notes between him and my mother? Something I can use against him, fucking anything.”

Ms. Howell nodded. “I’m sure there’s something, yes.”

“I need it. Any of it, all of it. I’m gonna make him pay.”


	77. Oswald, Thursday October 4th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hurt: verb; cause mental pain or distress to (a person or their feelings)

Cold hands woke him, settling lightly on his shoulder. “It’s me,” Jasper’s voice told him softly, already pulling back his blankets. He heard her kicked off her shoes before feeling her get into bed. 

“You don’t even knock anymore?” Oswald asked, but allowed her to snuggle down next to him. It’s not like he actually minded. By this point she was more than welcome. She sighed, setting her against his shoulder. It was a little surprising actually that she hadn’t already taken her clothes off. Or his. He frowned. “You okay, Jas?” It was too dark to see her, but he still turned to look. 

She just sighed again, leaning over to kiss him. “You told me where you keep the spare key, moron,” she mumbled with no real venom. “And don't call me that.”

“That isn't what I asked, _Jas_.”

“Well, if you're gonna be that way, why would I tell you?” she asked. He didn't need to see to know she was rolling her eyes into orbit.

So, she was gonna be cagey about it. He sighed. The fact hurt just a bit, but Jasper was prickly. He already knew that. Oswald wondered for a fleeting second why he had expected otherwise.

The feeling of her lips on his neck pulled him away from his thoughts. “I’d say you’re being a little handsy tonight, but…” he trailed off. 

“You like it,” Jasper mumbled softly. She sounded so tired, almost defeated honestly. He hummed, pulling her closer. Whatever was wrong, if this was what she wanted to help, then he was, by all means, willing. Pulling at her t-shirt though, he wished she would just tell him what was wrong. 

Loving her, it seemed, was going to hurt. Somehow, he was okay with that.


	78. Jasper Friday October 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfort: noun; the easing or alleviation of a person’s feelings of grief or distress

“You’re still here.” He didn’t sound displeased, but definitely seemed surprised. Which was fair. She had never stayed before. _(She had never been in such shock before.)_

Jasper shrugged half heartedly from where she lay half propped up against the pillows she had stolen sometime in the night. “Was too lazy to find my clothes last night,” she lied. Looking at him now she questioned once again how this had happened. What had happened between here and there that she had come to...care for him? (Having almost thought the word ‘love’ Jasper mentally berated herself. _This isn’t love. Maybe infatuation. Or lust. Or something in between, but not love. Ridiculous._ )

Oswald just laughed lightly, closing his eyes again. “Well, if you’re expecting breakfast, you’ll have to find them ‘cause there is, like, nothing in my fridge.” A pause. “Unless you like poptarts.” He cracked an eye open at her in question. 

She was quiet for a moment, quiet enough Oswald reached out to touch her, but she moved to get up before he could. She had fed this new vice of hers enough for the time being. “I do,” she told him softly. “But I have somewhere to be.” Yet another lie. They were starting to collect. Water behind a dam. She hoped it wouldn't burst on her.

“Oh.” He cocked his head to the side, watching her gather her clothes. “Okay.”

She stopped, pants half on. “What?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at the tone of his words. 

Oswald shook his head, looking away. “Nothing,” he told her. “Just uh, thought since you stuck around you might... actually stick around.” He looked back up to her, green eyes so terribly vulnerable when they looked at her. Like he cared. She dismissed it quickly, her eyes falling away and back to her clothes. _Don’t be stupid._ He was a good lay, that was it. 

Jasper pulled the rest of her clothes on in a hurry. “I need to go look into some things and I have a client later.” It was the truth this time, maybe not the whole truth, but the truth nonetheless. She had to go see about getting more shifts at the Peacock and what school Mica and Jade would have to go to and a billion other things besides. 

Oswald just looked at her, watching her even as she made her way for his front door. “Okay, Jasper.” The way he said her name gave her pause, only enough to look back at him for a second, but she continued on. She dropped his birthday gift on the couch before zipping out the door. _That didn’t mean anything either._


	79. Oswald, Saturday October 6th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theft: noun; the action or crime of stealing

Maybe it was the boredom. Maybe he had finally been driven crazy. Maybe it was that he had been listening to the damn thing cry for five days straight. No matter the real reason behind it, he was breaking into his neighbors apartment to steal their cat. 

Oswald had waited until he knew for sure they left- he knew their habits pretty well by now. As he picked the lock he wondered if maybe Billie had had a point about the lockpicks the other day. Even so, this was different. He wasn’t breaking in to steal their valuables...just the cat. 

Once the door was open, and it didn’t take long, Oswald discovered his annoying neighbors were slightly more devious than originally thought. Or at least, so said their various drug paraphernalia laying around their living room. He pursed his lips, still standing in the doorway. _Well, that explains a lot of things._

He closed the door behind him, tucking his lockpicks in his back pocket. What else might he find after a little investigation? They weren’t the cleanest folks that was for sure, he thought poking around. Take out boxes everywhere, not to mention needles. A meow turned his attention towards the kitchen though. 

He knew that meow all too well. _Asshole._ The kitchen, while not much better than the living room, the counter at least was clean enough that there was room for a cat to sit. The bane of his existence looked at him oddly expectantly, seemingly unconcerned at his presence. Solid black with yellow eyes, the cat seemed in decent enough shape apart from being terribly thin. _Suppose it’s hard to feed a cat when all your money goes towards drugs and excessive amounts of takeout._

Humming, he reached a hand out towards the cat experimentally. Excitedly, it booped his head against the palm of his hand, obviously loving the attention. “Well, alright then,” he murmured. _Let’s see if I can pick you up._ Surprisingly, he let him- and started purring in fact. “This was far easier than anticipated,” Oswald whispered to the cat, already making his way back towards the door.


	80. Jessamine, Saturday October 6th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stray: noun; a stray person or thing, especially a domestic animal

“Oswald? What are you doing? You’re supposed to be at home resting.” Nonetheless she ushered him in, getting to come into the kitchen. The only place to sit in the living room now was the floor. 

A small meow made her stop before they got there though. “Was that a cat?” Jessamine looked up at Oswald bewildered. A fuzzy head poked its head out of Oswald’s backpack, meowing at her again. _Definitely a cat._

Oswald smiled apologetically, or at least tried to. “Listen...I, uh…” He sighed, dropping the smile. “Yeah, it’s a cat. I stole him from my neighbors.” He paused, as if waiting to see if she’d say anything to that before continuing. “I can’t keep him. Please, tell me you’ve always wanted a cat or something.” He held the cat-filled backpack out to her hopefully. 

Jessamine blinked at him. “I can’t say I’ve ever had a major desire to, no.” She looked at the cat again, then at Oswald. The things she would do for love, she thought shaking her head. “I suppose we could keep him for a bit though? Until you can find him another home.”


	81. Corvo, Saturday October 6th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sin: noun; an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law

Corvo sighed again at his daughter, who was trying to explain that she had just been defending Wyman. “I know,” he said. “I know, but you can’t bite people. It’s...not nice.”

“Well, they weren’t be very nice either.” She looked at him pointedly as they entered their building. 

He sighed. “I know,” he told her again. “But biting people is bad. For everyone involved. Don’t bite. Okay? Please, for me?” He pressed the button for the elevator. 

She pouted, but said, “Okay, Dad.”

The elevator ride was quiet, but Emily didn’t seem angry anymore. She had settled down a lot since he had picked her up from school. He half wondered what on earth the child she bit had actually said to provoke such a reaction. They hadn’t stuck around long enough for him to actually find out, but he would have to ask tomorrow. 

Getting into the apartment they both saw that Oswald was visiting. He and Jessamine were laying on the floor watching tv it seemed...with a cat. _Where did they get a cat?_ Corvo and Emily walked in quietly enough that no one looked up except the cat actually. 

“Is that a cat?” He asked, making them both look up from whatever movie they were watching. 

“Our cat now,” Jessamine said, patting the fuzzy black thing gently. Emily was already settling down on one of the pillows with the three of them, perfectly delighted by the animal. 

“His name is Sin,” Oswald said. 

“Do I wanna know why…”

“Oswald stole him.”

“He’s a sin now. Sin Cat.” Oswald sounded a bit proud of himself actually, looking at his Sin Cat rather fondly. 

Corvo sighed. “Alright, well, I guess we have a cat now.” Kicking his shoes off, he groaned moving to lay down next to Oswald, out of the way of the cat. 

“Hi,” Oswald said, quietly. A bit shyer now— maybe it was cause of the thing with Jasper. He wondered if Jessamine had told him that she had told Corvo. 

“Hi,” Corvo said, leaning his head over on his shoulder. He had on a new shirt it seemed. For once, not black. There were whales on it though, how fitting. “You look tired. Did you walk over?” He frowned. He just had surgery. He didn’t need any long walks… _carrying a cat._

Oswald nodded, absently petting Sin as he spoke. “I had to. I had him and I can’t ride my bike just yet anyway.”

“You got it back?”

Oswald smiled. “Yeah, Billie brought it back yesterday.”

Corvo nodded appreciatively. “Okay, but I still got questions about this cat…” Even as he said this, Sin was setting his little fuzzy paws over into Corvo’s chest- perfectly at ease apparently.


	82. Jasper Sunday October 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shake: verb; (of a person, a part of the body, or voice) tremble uncontrollably from a strong emotion such as fear or anger

The Fontaine doorbell was still the pretentious chimes she remembered from when she was still part of the family. Like church bells in a temple of wealth.

The same doorman she always remembered answered the door. More gray in his mustache, more lines on his face, but it was still him. “Hi, Dale.” Jasper breezed her way past him easily, her sudden appearance enough to of a shock that he didn’t stop her. 

“Miss… Miss Jasper, you shouldn't be here,” he said, trying to gently usher her out, but she pulled her arm from his grasp. 

Jasper shook her head. “No. I want to see Fontaine. You tell him I know who I am. I know _exactly_ who I am.” Her voice dropped to a dangerous low pitch at that.

Dale frowned. “Miss Jasper, this isn't wise,” he tried, unwilling to get either of them in trouble. Apparently he knew as much as Ms. Howell. How nice to know everyone had been able to keep a secret. 

“Oh I know, but I _have_ to see him...Before I'm forced to discuss this issue with someone less… discreet.” She smiled innocently at the old man. 

Maybe it was the dangerous tone of her voice, or maybe it was the look in her eye, but whatever it was it sent Dale scurrying to find Mr. Fontaine rather quickly. Jasper felt a small twinge of guilt— Dale was a good guy, really— but she tamped it down. Now wasn’t the time for guilt. 

Her father, her real blood father, stormed down the stairs, a familiar glare in his icy blue eyes. “You had better have a damned good reason for bringing your filthy self to this house again,” he threatened. 

Jasper grinned, happily. “It’s nice to see you too, Dad. I've got a great reason, too,” she said, still smiling as he came closer to speak to her. “Remember Sang-mi?”

He stopped in his tracks, still a few feet away from her. His fury had subsided in an instant, something akin to fear repacking it. “What do you want?” He repeated, more warily this time.

She crossed her arms. “Real simple. You let me have my sister and brother, just like I asked before, or my tongue just happens to slip and I tell _everyone_ about your disgraced bastard and all you’ve done.”

He went a deep shade of red as his fists clenched themselves over and over. “You can't do that! You cannot take a man's children!” He grit his teeth. “You have no proof of anything, Jasper Crowe.”

Jasper didn't say anything, merely offered him a piece of paper. He glanced at it. A photocopy of the check stub, _her_ check stub. 

There was no way out of this now. “This doesn't mean anything,” he snapped, more feebly than before, as he tore the paper to shreds. A flimsy defense, and he knew it. He knew that she knew. It only made him angrier it seemed. 

She moved closer, so she wouldn’t have to raise her voice to get her point across. “It’s your choice, but I think we both know you value what people think of you over your kids.” She smiled pointedly. 

“You harlot! Scum! You— you philandering little faggot!”

Jasper curled her lip at the slur. “Watch who you call philanderer, Donald. I'm not the one who cheated on my wife and then adopted the bastard.” She paused a moment to let her words sink in. “If I don't have Mica and Jade in my custody by this time next week, then I start talking. As long as you leave your shitty ideas and toxic claws out of all our lives, you get to stay the kind father whose ungrateful adopted kid became too much to handle.”

“And what do you expect me to do without any heirs?”

She shrugged again, far more carelessly. “I couldn’t give a single shit honestly. Make up whatever story you like about why they're gone and appoint whoever the fuck you want as the next in line for your shitty fucking computers. Or keep them in the will, I _don’t_ fucking care. I just don't want them turning into a bitch like me, or worse: a crusty old bastard like you.”

He didn't have much to say to that. Not that she cared all too much. She still had to go to work and try to steady her shaking hands on the way. She was still covering for Oswald’s appendectomy and shaky hands wouldn’t do.


	83. Oswald, Sunday October 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News: noun; newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent or important events

“Hi,” Jasper said as soon as he picked up. 

“Hi.” He smiled to himself, she was oddly chipper sounding today. “How’s it going? You didn’t call to tell me you burned down my tattoo parlor today, did you?” 

Jasper snorted. “No. ‘Course not.” A pause. “How would that even happen?” 

“I feel like you could find a way if you wanted to,” he told her. Knowing her- she could always find a way.

There was a long beat of silence between them. “I did something good today, Oswald.”

“Yeah?” That explained the good mood. 

“Yeah.”

“Well,” he began, “Why don’t you come by. We’ll have a drink or something. That’s what people do when something good happens, yeah?”

“Are you even supposed to be drinking?” 

Oswald shrugged to himself. “Dunno. At worst, you drink and I’ll have juice. Whatever. Just come by.” Much as he hated to admit it to himself he had been missing not seeing her everyday. He could have called her before, he supposed, but that would require telling her he missed her. Somehow, he felt like that would probably annoy her. It was clear that he was far more attached than she was. She had given him a birthday gift sure, but he really doubted that that actually meant anything. 

She didn’t say anything for a second. Then finally, “Okay, Oz, ya talked me into it. I’ll be over soon.”

Oswald smiled, not even correcting her for calling him ‘Oz’. “I’ll be waiting.”


	84. Jessamine Sunday October 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frozen: verb; become suddenly motionless or paralyzed with fear or shock

She sat down next to Corvo with her plate. “Thank you for cooking.” 

“It’s just breakfast food.” He shrugged. 

“Still. It’s always nice.” Jessamine kissed his stubbly cheek. Emily was gone with Corvo’s mother for the night, so they had the place all to themselves. Maybe they’d actually get up to something fun again. She could use another solid banging honestly. 

She was startled out of her thoughts when Sin came over and put a paw on her leg, interested in them now that there was food. “So, you like the cat?” she asked, watching him. 

Corvo laughed. “I wouldn’t say that, but I don’t have anything against the cat.”

“He’s growing on me...like _mold_.” The cat in question just blinked at them as they watched him. 

Corvo offered a bit of his bacon to him, which he took gratefully before scurrying back off to the cushion he seemed to have claimed as his. There was a knock on the door. “Oswald again?” Jessamine frowned. 

Corvo shrugged, already moving to stand up. “Who knows. I’ll get it.” 

She heard him open the door. She heard him talking to someone for a second. She heard him fall to the floor. “Wha…” Jessamine was already moving toward the door. What she saw was enough to take her breath away. There was blood. A lot of it. On Corvo’s hand, holding his abdomen. On his clothes, slowly bleeding into the white fabric of his shirt. On the knife the woman in the doorway held. 

Jessamine was frozen for a moment. Staring at the woman. The woman who had come to her, so long agai, asking about the job. The word ‘why’ hovered on the edge of her lips, but no sound came out. The woman, looking even less out together than she had the day they had met said, “You should have hired me. You should have…”

Wordlessly, Jessamine just shook her head, her eyes flashing between the woman and Corvo. Dropping the knife suddenly, the clatter extremely loud in Jessamine’s ears, the woman spoke again, “You shouldn’t have ignored me,” she said, feet’s already moving backwards. Jessamine could only stare as she ran back down the hall. 

Corvo finally made a sound, gasping for breath- “Call 911.”


	85. Oswald, Sunday October 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panic: noun; sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior

Oswald opened the bottle of wine before Jasper got there. Someone, he didn’t remember who, had told him once that you should do that- leave wine open for a bit before drinking it. Maybe it had been that bartender he dated once? Or maybe it was Daud. He couldn’t remember now.  
Just as he had done that, something...in his chest began hurting. Sharply. Sharp enough to take his breath away. He put a hand to his chest. _Well, this can’t be good._ He let himself slide down to the floor, hand still holding his chest. Thinking back, he vaguely remembered something like this happening when he was seven or so. Dr. Sokolov had had to operate again. 

Trying to calm himself, Oswald took a few deep breaths. Something was wrong. Something was _very_ wrong, but Jasper would come soon. All he had to do was not die before then. Words like that that were often easier said than done though.


	86. Jasper Sunday October 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wait: verb; stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens

“Jessamine?” Jasper frowned. “What are you doing here?” She had just finally gotten all the paperwork done for Oswald. They had taken him into surgery apparently. A Dr. Sokolov had seemed very concerned. It hadn’t made her feel any better. Her nerves were going to be shot by the end of the night. 

Jessamine looked up from her own paperwork. “Jasper?” She cocked her head at her. 

Jasper only then noticed the blood splotched across her shirt.“Oh, God,” she gasped, probably louder than she should have. She lowered her voice, stepping closer. “Is that your blood?” She pointed to the stain. 

She just shook head. “No,” she sighed. “Corvo’s.” Jessamine shook her head. “I’ll tell you about it later. Why’re you here? Is everything okay?” She frowned, giving Jasper her own once over. 

Jasper closed her eyes, sighing. Something had happened to Corvo, too. Just when she was getting everything together, things were falling apart again. “No.” She went and sat down in the seat on the other side of the Jessamine. “Oswald...something’s wrong with his heart. I don’t remember what they said.” She shook her head at herself. She remembered them telling her in the ambulance, she just couldn’t remember the details. Between her grabbing some clothes off his couch for later and shouting at the paramedics about his pacemaker and allergies on the way to the hospital everything was a blur. It was definitely something wrong with his heart though. Maybe she could get them to tell her again later. 

Jessamine actually looked shaken, her frown deepening, but nodded. “Okay. We’ll wait for news together.” She grabbed Jasper’s hand, squeezing it gently.


	87. Oswald Monday October 8th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stay: verb; remain in the same place

When he woke up it was mostly dark, only dim morning light peaking through the curtains to light the room. Even so, he could tell it was Jasper who was sitting with her head laying on his bed, one hand holding onto his wrist. When he moved she looked up, a light sleeper apparently. Or maybe she hadn’t been asleep at all, but her voice was rough when she spoke, “Hey.”

“Mmm, you look like shit.” He smiled, nudging her with his leg. Oswald let his eyes close again though. He was so tired. 

“You think you look any better, Edgelord?” She sniffed. 

Oswald cracked an eye open at her again. It was dark enough that he couldn’t tell from looking, but from the sound of things, she was crying. He poked a finger out at her arm that was stilled set against the bed. “Hope you’re not crying over me.”

She laughed, her hand coming up to swipe at her eyes. “Yeah, right. Like I’d ever cry over you. What kind of nerd would do that?”

Oswald sighed. Everything ached. Nothing he wasn’t familiar with though. “Sorry about passing out. That probably wasn’t fun.” At least that was what Billie had told him when they were seven. ‘It wasn’t fun, Oswald.’ In retrospect, she had handled him passing out incredibly well for a seven year old. 

Nodding, Jasper put a hand over his arm. “It’s okay. That doctor said it was your pacemaker. Something had messed up with it or something,” she shrugged. “Not your fault.”

He hummed. He had figured as much. “Okay.” Sleep was quickly becoming the only thing he wanted to do anymore and he let his eyes close. “‘’M gonna sleep.”

Jasper petted his arm gently before stepping away completely. “I’ll go then. I was going to go check on Corvo anyway.”

_Corvo?_ “What’s wrong with Corvo?” Oswald mumbled, still fighting off sleep. 

“He’s okay, don’t worry.” She took his hand gently. “He got stabbed. Tell you about it later.”

Too tired to argue, Oswald just sighed. “Okay.” As long as he was okay, he supposed it would be anyway. In the meantime, sleep was all he was going to be able to do. “But please stay,” he mumbled, trying to hold on to her hand. She wouldn’t. That he knew even in this foggy state, but he didn’t have enough dignity to not ask.

Surprisingly, she didn’t take her hand away, merely keeping her tight grip. “If you want,” she said softly.


	88. Corvo Monday October 8th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love: 1. noun; an intense feeling of deep affection 2. a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone

“Corvo, would you just get back in bed. I’m going to get you two moved into the same room. It’s-“ Jessamine sighed, stopping when he look at her. Probably thinking what a mistake it had been to tell him about Oswald, but it was too late now. 

“I’m going to see him, Jess,” he said. “Just help me with the IV.” Getting stabbed hurt, but it wasn’t going to stop him from going to see about Oswald.

Jessamine sighed, but moved around the side of the bed to take his arm and the move the IV stand for him. “Fine,” she shook her at him. 

“Thank you.” He smiled softly at her. 

They shuffled fairly slowly all the way to Oswald’s room, passing by Billie on the way- she had ended up in the hospital the same way Corvo had, a stab wound inflicted by a crazy woman (apparently Daud had taken care of that though)- but eventually they made it. Jasper was already there with Oswald, Jasper sitting in the bed next to Oswald, his head leaned over on her.

Oswald smiled upon seeing him. “Well, one of us is going to have to change,” he said. 

Corvo snorted as they shuffled closer to the bed. “Well, I think I put it,” he gestured down to his own hospital gown, ”on first, so you should the one to change.” He sat down on the unoccupied side of Oswald’s bed, leaning back next to him. “Jasper,” he said. “Lovely to see you again. I like the scarf.” 

Oswald laughed, softly, but put a hand to his chest as he did. “Thanks, it’s mine. She stole it while the EMTs were putting me in the ambulance.”

“A thief of opportunity,” Jessamine grinned, coming to sit down on the end of the already crowded bed. She put a hand on Oswald’s foot. “I’m glad she was there though.” She smiled over at Jasper. “Thank you for that, don’t know what we’d do without him now.”

Jasper bit her lip, looking away. “Ya know what,” she said. “Me either.”

Oswald put a hand on her thigh and another took Corvo’s hand. “Well, I don’t know what I’d do without _any_ of you anymore.” A pause. “And now probably isn’t the best time, but I almost died so I’m just gonna say it- I love all of you. Really. I love you.”

He heard Jasper sniff, but didn’t see her face as she laid her head down against his hair. She didn’t say much, only humming a small sound of acknowledgement and an, “Okay, Oz.” She put a hand down over the hand Oswald had put on her thigh. Oswald just smiled, a bit sadly, but not seeming to have expected anything less. 

Jessamine leaned up to kiss the hand that Corvo held and said, as sincerely as he had ever known her to be with him, “I love you too.” She put a hand on Jasper’s leg. “And that includes you, Jaz. I love you too. For loving him,” she looked at Oswald, “ and saving him, if for nothing else.” Jessamine winked over at Corvo. “You know I love _you_.”

Corvo chuckled. “I do and of course, the sentiments are all the same here.” He leaned over to kiss Oswald quickly. “Love you guys.”

They all sat there a while, taking in the moment together. Jasper finally sighed. “So, would you call this a foursome or…”

Jessamine laughed, loudly and freely. “I’m not sure we need a name for whatever we’re doing.”

Oswald smiled. “This is a cluster fuck is what it is.” He chuckled. “I’m happier for it though.”

“Maybe it’s the drugs,” Corvo said. “Mine are pretty good, I bet yours are better.”

They all laughed, but Oswald shushed him. “Don’t tell them that. They’ll think I was kidding.” He smiled gently, leaning his head back down on Jasper. “I wasn’t.”

“We know,” Jasper said softly, planting a kiss on top of his head. Corvo smiled. For once everything felt like it was okay. Which was strange because both he and Oswald had ended up in the hospital, but it did. It felt like everything was going to be okay.


	89. Jasper, Wednesday October 10th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pause: noun; interrupt action or speech briefly

Jasper loaded the last of her siblings’ suitcases in her objectively-shitty little sedan. Observed by almost the whole household, she had finally come to take custody of her brother and sister. Fontaine had admitted defeat. Anything to save face socially.

After all, affairs were common enough, but bastards were not.

She slammed the trunk of her car down, perhaps a bit too hard, and turned to look at the adults that had disowned her. “Papers,” she said, walking towards Donald with her hand outstretched.

The man scowled, but he handed over a folder. She looked inside— social security cards, birth certificates, custody papers… It all looked to be in order. She smiled at him, the picture of innocence. As if she hadn’t twisted his arm into giving up custody. “These look to be all right. And if they aren’t—”

“They are,” he snapped. “Once you leave, you and _yours_ are not welcome back on this property, do you hear me, Crowe? I _will_ pursue legal action!”

Jasper shrugged. “Alright, then.” She turned to her siblings, standing by their parents. “You heard the man,” she said, “I really hope you didn’t leave anything, because God forbid someone come back for a toothbrush. Or immunization forms.” She stole a quick look back in the folder. Yeah, those were there, too.

Jade, for her part, was patting her mother’s back in an awkward hug, her mother sobbing all the while. Mica merely stood a pace from his parents, watching his elder sister intently. “I’m good,” he said, voice thick.

“Be good, babies,” their mother said tearfully, releasing Jade only a little, to stroke her hair.

Jade tried to extract herself. “It’s— it’s fine, mom. Like an adventure.”

Mrs. Fontaine frowned. “Not with her, it isn’t. It’s borderline kidnapping.”

Jasper waved the folder lightly. “According to these, no it fucking isn’t. Let go of my sister.”

Mrs. Fontaine launched into a fresh round of tears and headed inside. Jade herself gave her father a small wave and hustled to her sister’s car. No way was she staying out here longer than she had to.

Mica looked to Donald. He stuck out his hand and, surprisingly enough, the man took it. He gave a halfhearted shake. Mica sucked in a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “Dad, I’m gay.”

Donald physically recoiled, lips curling into a sneer. “You— you—!”

Jasper smirked at him, placing a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Yep. Why’d you think I pushed so hard to get ‘em away from you? You think your dear wife could handle another Waverly Incident?”

Donald’s jaw set harshly and his color began to rise. Mica hurled himself into the safety of his sister’s car.

Jasper’s smirk turned to a grin. She gave him a cocky wave and turned on her heel towards her car. “Adios.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I'm probably gonna leave real soon, Just wanted to let you know, Before I say, Au revoir](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QcyoYnoVqE)  
>   
> 
> shades: i couldn't let this end without letting mr. f know just how hard he should go fuck himself. thanks for paying attention to almost 90 chapters worth of whatever this is, and ideally there will be more jasper within the next decade. my writing schedule is atrocious :) 
> 
> (when will fic write itself)
> 
> (generalatomics also sends her thanks for reading)

**Author's Note:**

> We could be romantics for life, Go wild with our scars unhealed, We could be romantics for life...
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> Find me, charmingotter, on Tumblr at [@generlaatomicsgalleria](http://generalatomicsgalleria.tumblr.com) and wittyshades on Tumblr at [@wittyshades](https://wittyshades.tumblr.com). Thank you all who are reading and thank you so so much to my writing partner [@wittyshades]() for all the help with this (and for allowing me use of Jasper) and thank you [@bigbuffjigglypuff]() for being our beta reader! <3


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